After the hug
by lanasmyfeather
Summary: "Nothing prepared her for this. She knew they were going serious, she just had no idea how serious. But having Zelena grab Emma's hand to reveal a wedding ring was something of a knife in the gut. She could feel how all of the air was being sucked out of her lungs and how her heart was suddenly smashed into million miserable pieces. "
1. Chapter 1

Notes:

This is a first chapter of my take on the sq hug in s6. I think this fic will have 2 or 3 chapters and the next update should happen fairly fast since I'm still on my holiday :) I own nothing! Also sorry for any and all mistakes there might be! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Nothing prepared her for this. She knew they were going serious, she just had no idea how serious. But having Zelena grab Emma's hand to reveal a wedding ring was something of a knife in the gut.

She could feel how all of the air was being sucked out of her lungs and how her heart was suddenly smashed into million miserable pieces.

Regina was no stranger to pain but nothing in her life quite compared to the heartbreak she was feeling now. And that was saying something.

Even when she was barely holding it together she could not take her eyes off the beautiful blonde savior she had fallen in love with. She was smiling and showing off her ring but when those stormy green eyes turned to look at her Regina felt defeated.

Emma was really getting married. Her Emma. No. Not her Emma, never her Emma, Regina had to remind herself. She had loved Emma for years but she knew they could never be together and this sealed her fate.

Suddenly she realised that everyone were waiting for her reaction. She heard herself telling Emma how happy she was for her and reaching out to hug her. Emma leaning her head on her own was something of a miracle to her and a feeling she would forever cherish.

She had to get out. Standing there looking at the love of her life talking about her future wedding was something her fragile heart could not deal with.

Regina excused herself but by doing that she didn't see how the light slowly died in those green eyes as they watched the other mother of her son walk out of the room.

* * *

Regina knew that her early departure might be deemed as rude, but as soon as she closed the apartment door behind her, the first set of tears leaked down her face.

She hurried towards the stairs, trying to get away as soon as possible.

How could she have been so foolish? Of course Hook and Emma were going to move forward in their relationship. It's not like they were gonna stay like this forever. Regina could feel someone stomping on her shattered heart when she thought where a wedding would lead.

A wedding night. All the nights they were already spending together in a same house. In a same bed. Regina felt a bile rise to her mouth when she thought about Emma and Hook starting a family. She had to get out of here. She couldn't take it.

Exciting the building Regina took off towards her own house in Mifflin. She could have poofed, but she needed time and fresh air did good for her tortured brain. But no matter how much fresh air there was, she could not take her mind off of Emma.

Falling in love with Emma Swan had not been in her plans. Nowhere near it. Emma had been the blonde trouble maker that had waltzed into her town and in the hearts of everyone. What Regina had not seen coming, was that she would crash head first into hers as well.

In the years of battling danger and villain after villain, Emma had gone from her enemy, to an ally, to a friend, to her best friend and confident. And somewhere in the middle of that, she had fallen. Hard.

Regina didn't notice she had almost reached home, before she heard someone clear a throat ahead of her. She snapped her head up and came almost toe to toe with her sister. Zelena was leaning on the gate clearly waiting for her.

Recovering from her initial shock, Regina cleared her throat to hide the fact she had been crying. "How did you get here?"

"I have my ways. Now. Spill it. What's wrong?" Zelena searched her sister face. She had seen her reaction to Emma's news and she had an inkling as to what this was all about.

"Nothing's wrong." Regina met her sisters stare with one fitted for a queen.

"Okay, you just lied to my face. And you lied to Emma's face just 15 minutes ago. So come on, bring it. What's going on with you?" Zelena knew that a sensitive person would not push, but she was not one to shy away from something. Something was wrong with Regina and as her sister she wanted to know what it was.

Regina didn't answer, but instead she pushed past her sister towards the house. She did not want to talk about this. Not with Zelena, not with anyone. None of it mattered now anyway. She made it all the way to the house, but she could hear the clicking of Zelena's green heels.

They entered the house and Regina kicked her own heels off and headed towards her study. She needed a drink, right now. She was reaching for her cider when someone took a hold of her wrist. Regina closed her eyes and willed her temper and emotions to stay at bay.

"What?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Talk to me." Zelena insisted.

"There is nothing to talk about."

"Bullshit! You are literally shaking! I haven't seen you power walk to this cider in weeks. I know something's up with you, and I want to help you." Zelena ranted, not letting go of Regina's wrist.

Regina hung her head over her cider, her brunette locks covering the most of her face. After few ragged breaths she lifted her head to look at Zelena. The redhead was so taken aback of what she saw that she let go of her sisters wrist and took a step back.

Huge tears were making their way down from the corners of Regina's chocolate eyes. Her bottom lip was wobbly and it seemed she was just barely keeping down gut wrenching sobs. She was shaking, just like Zelena said. Shaking from her heartbreak and her stubbornness to keep it all inside. She didn't want anyone to know, but in that moment she felt like she might have to talk soon or she would shatter completely.

"Jesus Christ, Regina." Zelena breathed out as she took in the fragile state her sister was currently in. She reached her hand out to steady her and that was when the first sob bubbled out. There was no holding in any of it now.

Zelena rushed closer to wrap her little sister in a hug. Loud sobs could be heard even when they were partly muffled against her shoulder. Even when a situation like this was a bit foreign to her, Zelena didn't let that stop her. She was letting out her gentle, nurturing side that only few had seen. Her little sister needed her. She was making calming noises and brushing through Regina's silky hair. She knew it was better for Regina to cry it out than to keep it bottled in. Something neither of them were that good at, but they were learning.

After what felt like ages, Regina finally stopped crying. It had felt liberating, freeing almost. But no amount of crying could take away the heaviness she felt in her heart.

"Regina... I need you to tell me what's going on." her sisters gentle voice spoke next to her ear. Regina wasn't sure had she ever been comforted quite like this before. Even when she wasn't too fond of showing her feelings, she felt lucky to have her sister here holding her up.

She pulled back enough to wipe her eyes and clear her throat. Her eyes tried to find a place to land, not sure she wanted to look Zelena in the eyes, unsure what she might find. Her pride was still very much intact and she could not deal with pity.

After taking another calming breath, she lifted her gaze to match her sisters. What she found surprised her; blue eyes only showed understanding. She knew she needed to talk to Zelena but she also thought she must already know something. Now was the time to come clean.

"I... I don't know how to say this. I haven't told anyone." her voice was still hoarse from crying but to her credit she was really trying to have it not waver.

"It has to do with Emma, doesn't it?" Zelena guessed, sitting on the couch in the study. She felt this might take a while, so it was better for the sisters to sit down.

"It does. It somehow always does." a faint smile could be seen ghosting on Regina's face as her mind took her somewhere else, to a time when it all started. Zelena could see her sisters eyes slowly glaze over and even when she knew she was thinking of something that made her happy, she wanted to know where this was going.

"So what is it? I know she is your best friend. Did something happen or go wrong? I mean you didn't seem exactly happy about her engagement. Who can really blame you though. Hook is an asshole of the biggest sort, but I don't understand why it has you so-" Zelena stopped mid sentence to look up to her sister who was still standing, and twisting her hand together awkwardly. "Holy shit. You are in love with her, aren't you?"

Zelena was quite sure her chin had hit the floor as she was waiting for an answer that she already knew. Regina was not meeting her eyes at all, completely trying to avoid answering. But she knew the cat was out of the bag, so prolonging the inevitable did her no good.

"Yes."

They were quiet for a while and Regina sank on the other end of the couch. She felt suddenly tired, bone tired. Sleeping for a week seemed like a good idea, but she knew they would never be given to her. There was always something happening in her little storybook town.

"Are you gonna tell her?" Zelena was the one to break the silence.

"No." the response was immediate and easy to give.

"Why not?" Zelena wasn't surprised of the answer, but it also made no sense to her. If Regina was in love with her sons other mother, why wouldn't she tell her? And who in their right mind would pick Hook over Regina?

"Because she is happy now. I could never do anything to mess that up for her, Zelena. Hook asked her to marry her and she said yes. If there would be any kind of chance for us, if she was feeling anything for me, she wouldn't have said that." Regina could feel fresh set of tears starting to gather behind her eyes. She willed them to stay at bay though, because she was done with crying for now.

"I don't think she looks that happy though. What you could do though is-" Zelena leaned forward, going on full planning mode. But Regina was fast to stop her.

"No. No Zelena. I don't want you to get any ideas. I have made my decision. And you are not allowed to say a peep about this to her or anyone else for that matter. I told you this in confidence and I cannot have you break this promise. I trust you, Zelena." Regina pleaded, desperation making it into her voice.

Zelena just stared at her sister, not sure what to do next. She wanted to push, she wanted to make Regina tell Emma how she felt, but she knew that Regina would never recover from the rejection if something was to go wrong. And Regina would never forgive her if she even unintentionally messed this up. It was too personal, too close to her heart. And by the looks of it, that heart was shattered. Zelena hoped that it wasn't forever.

"Okay. I promise I won't do a thing or say anything to anyone." Regina let out a breath of relief and leaned back on the sofa. "Thank you." she whispered.

"Don't worry. I think you should get some sleep though, it has been a long day." Zelena said as she went to stand. Regina got up with her.

"Where are you going?" she asked somewhat breathlessly, having gotten up too fast.

"I need to go and pick up Robyn from Granny. She is probably already asleep, but it's better she wakes up with me rather than Granny although the lady promised to look after her over night." Zelena was making her way towards the door.

"Will you be coming back? I mean, I have a fresh guestroom." Regina was talking just a tiny bit too fast in her haste to sound casual.

"Regina." Zelena turned around to face her sister. "Do you need company? Because I have to warn you, Robyn still wakes up several times a night for her feeding."

Regina thought it over. She and Zelena had tried living together, but with the mess with Robin it had taken them a while to reconcile. But things were different now. She missed her sister, she missed Robyn. She missed having noise in the house.

"You two are more than welcome to stay here. And yes... I would very much like to have company. Especially since Henry is with... With Emma." Regina looked down after mentioning Emma.

Zelena sighed and laid her hand on Regina's shoulder. "I will go and get Robyn and we will get settled. It might take us a while, so you go and get some rest okay? We will see you in the morning for breakfast." she pulled Regina in for a hug.

"Okay. Okay. Wake me up if you two need something." Regina started to make her way up the stairs. She heard the door close behind Zelena. The silence in the house was nearly deafening and Regina rushed the steps up faster.

She closed her door and laid her back against it. It felt unreal this was her life. It was all going to plan, but then... They had to get engaged. She had been ready to hide her feelings from Emma, from everyone, but this cracked her open in a way she had not counted for.

Her body led her to bed without her really noticing. She had evening routine to follow, but tonight the only thing she needed was sleep. Crawling into her bed, she closed her eyes, wishing for a calm night and actual rest.

* * *

Morning came sooner than Regina was ready for. She had woken up every time Robyn had needed something, but she didn't really mind. It reminded her a lot of Henry and when the times were simple. No fairytale characters, or villains or gorgeous blonde biological mothers. Regina let out a frustrated grunt and rubbed her face, trying to get her mind back on track.

Getting up she headed towards the bathroom, her mind set on a cold shower. Yesterdays clothes made their way into the hamper. Not having done any of her normal evening routine the night before made her feel like she had slept with an armor on. And in a sense she had. Ridding her face of make up she stepped into the shower.

The cold water was what she needed and she felt just a slightly bit better. She wanted to get breakfast with her sister and niece and to have Henry home as soon as possible. There was nothing in plans today and she just wanted to be around her family.

After drying herself off she slipped into her casual wear which constituted from black pair of jeans and an old band t-shirt. She knew that she wasn't someone people pegged for a band girl, but she had had all the time in the world when she first cast the curse. She left the town several times after she got familiar with the music and the people of that time.

Making her way downstairs, she could hear the telltale sign of her sister being awake. When Zelena and Robyn originally moved in Zelena had discovered the radio in the kitchen and the music of today. She was up early anyway because of the baby so on those days Regina often came downstairs to find music. Today was no different.

Entering the kitchen, she found baby Robyn in her chair and Zelena trying to feed her. It made her smile, especially when Robyn waved her little fist at her. Zelena turned to look at her sister with a smile. "Hey! There is breakfast on the stove!"

"Thank you." Regina made her way to fix herself a plate. She reached her hand out for her coffee maker when she realised there was none brewed. Regina shot a dirty look at her sister who answered without even looking at her. "Too much caffeine is bad for you. I made a lovely pot of tea, also waiting for you at the stove."

Regina wanted her morning coffee, but she couldn't deny that her sister did make a mean cup of tea. Choosing to take up on the read heads act of kindness, she poured herself a cup. She sat on the other side of the Robyn and gave a soft kiss to the baby's head. Little Robyn waved her fists even more and Regina smiled at her.

"So what's the plan for today?" Zelena asked, like this was any normal day and her sister hadn't just broken down in front of her last night.

"I thought we could just relax, for once in our lives. I'm also calling Henry to see if she wants to meet us later today." Regina mumbled with her mouth full of food.

"Oh yeah, it would be nice to see Henry. Wouldn't it baby? To see uncle Henry? Huh? Huh?" Zelena was making baby noises at her daughter while Robyn had one of her fingers in her tiny fist.

Regina felt much lighter already. Maybe this was gonna be a better day.

She texted Henry later who asked could they have dinner at Granny's. Regina was one to prefer home cooked meals, but she couldn't deny the appeal of not having to cook tonight. The Mills sisters made their way to Granny's later that night after a relaxing day at the garden. Regina was carrying Robyn inside as Zelena was finding a place to leave her stroller. Her eyes zeroed on her son sitting in one of the booths and she could feel her heart warm in the way it always did when she saw Henry.

What she didn't notice though was the blonde sitting across from her son. As Regina made it to their booth, she nearly had a heart attack after seeing Emma. It took her a while to get her bearings back and in that time she had apparently missed something, because Emma was calling her name.

"Regina? Regina, are you okay?" worried green eyes were looking her over and a pale hand had reached out to touch her own that was still tightly holding onto Robyn.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." Regina hurried to say. She knew she had to play it cool so her current situation wouldn't get any messier. "I just got startled that's all."

"Mom, are you sure you are okay?" Henry knew his mother well and she was hiding something. He wasn't going to push too hard now, but they had something to talk about for sure.

"Yes, of course darling. Make some room for me please." Regina said and Henry scooted over and happily took Robyn from his mothers arms. He instantly started to babble to her about his day and the biggest smile spread on Robyn's face. Regina looked on fondly.

"'Gina..." Emma started nervously. "... I know something's bothering you. If I have done anything, anything to cause it..." and on that second she was interrupted.

"Well well, if it isn't our towns courageous Sheriff." Zelena said and pushed to sit next to Emma. "How many times did you chase Pongo today?"

"Hello Zelena." Emma said chancing a look at Regina. She knew something was up with the brunette, but they never seemed to have time for themselves anymore. It was either another threat, a family emergency or simply... Hook. Or Zelena. Or both if they were really unlucky. Emma was happy that Regina had family in town, but Zelena had a bad habit of always jumping in on a conversation when Emma wanted to ask Regina something important.

"Are you gonna join us for dinner?" Zelena's question made two pairs of eyes snap to look at her. The green pair was evidently confused but the brown pair was furious. Regina couldn't believe that after her sister promised to keep her mouth shut, she would do something like this.

"Ummm, I think I need to head back to the house. I only came here to drop Henry off." Emma stammered. "Always so eloquent, Miss Swan." Regina wasn't looking at Emma so she missed her frowning. Regina didn't call her Miss Swan anymore. They had gone over this, several times.

"See ya later, kid." Emma said and ruffled Henry's hair from the other side of the table. Zelena got up to make room for Emma to get out of the booth. Reaching the end of the table, Emma turned to look at Regina. "I will call you later okay?"

Regina turned to look at Emma and their eyes connected for what felt like years. Regina had always loved the sparkling green that were Emma's eyes. Granted lately they had gotten less sparkling which worried Regina.

"Okay." Regina whispered.

Emma took a deep breath and pressed a quick kiss on Regina's cheek before leaving the diner. She almost hit the door frame on her way out. Regina could feel her entire face heat up as she lifted her fingers to her cheek. How could a simple kiss on the cheek cause such a reaction in her? This was the first time Emma had ever done anything like this. Even when Regina's heart was singing, her brain was asking why had she done that now.

Zelena looked at her sister with a sad smile. She didn't know how she had missed it before when it seemed so obvious now. Regina was so desperately in love with Emma and having to see the longing looks Regina shot at the door made Zelena's own heart ache.

She couldn't give it any more thought because Henry was requiring their attention. That seemed to snap Regina back to this world as well. He had already recounted his day to little Robyn but he also very much wanted to share it with adults who could answer back.

He had gone on and on for a while about seeing David that morning and Snow who send him a stack of pancakes in Tupperware in case Emma couldn't whip up something for breakfast. Emma had huffed at her mother's doubts about her cooking but after her dad had left, she had begged for a tiny bite of Henry's breakfast.

Zelena laughed wickedly at that, but Regina found her smiling fondly. Maybe she could volunteer to teach Emma how to cook. That could give their some much needed time alone. That made Regina physically shake her head to rid her brain of the idea. The only reason she should teach Emma how to cook was to make sure Henry was being fed proper food.

So deep in thought Regina had missed the beginning part of Henry's second story but what made her concentrate again was the wild snap of Zelena's neck as she turned to look at her. Zelena's eyes were wide as she was looking fast between Regina and Henry. That made Regina frown as she started to listen to her sons story once more.

"... so since Emma had to go to work, Hook decided to take me to his ship instead. I didn't really want to go with him because he had been in a bad mood after he had woken up but he kinda insisted. And we ended up having an okay time? Do you think we can order? I'm starving." Henry babbled on completely unaware of her mothers face morphing into anger.

Regina's problem with Hook wasn't only about Emma. Of course her main point was that Emma deserved someone so much better than Hook who treated her badly and didn't appreciate her the way she deserved. But other thing she could never forget or forgive was Hook's involvement in her torture. She was unsure was Emma aware of that, but she wasn't gonna tell her unless she was directly asked.

It didn't help her hate to hear that he had made her son join him even if he didn't want to. Also she didn't like anything that involved that ship. She still had nightmares of Neverland and almost losing Henry and that ship was a clear, everyday reminder of that. Taking Henry there was not something Regina deemed wise, but why would the pirate use that little pea of a brain he had. Zelena was trying to subtly stare at her while attending to Robyn, waiting for a reaction. Henry seemed to be none the wiser as he poked his mom on the shoulder. "Mom? You okay?"

"Yes, darling." she said sweetly but it was clear to see she was angry. "Would you please go and order for us? I will have my usual."

"And I'm not so happy to announce that I have gotten just as boring as my dear sister. I will have my usual as well. And warn Granny ahead of time; I will want tea after dinner." Zelena smiled wickedly. She had a confrontation with Granny about the tea they were serving. Zelena had not been willing to deal with the 'low quality' of it and Granny wasn't gonna let anyone insult her servings. The entire diner had seen the two ladies argue about the ways of tea making and after tasting the tea Zelena had made, Granny had admitted defeat with a murderous glare. Now it was a bit of an inside joke between them as the two ladies had become fast friends.

Henry saluted his aunt and Regina made room for him to get out of the booth. When the two sisters were left alone, Regina shot Zelena a dirty look. "What was that for?" Zelena looked wounded.

"You asked Emma to join us for dinner after you promised you wouldn't put your nose into this. Zelena, you promised me." Regina was whispering angrily, but a small amount of defeat laced her voice.

Zelena placed Robyn on her carrier that was next to her in the booth before turning her to look at Regina. "I did not ask Emma to stay for dinner because I wanted her to stay, but because I knew she would say no if it was me who asked. We might be civil, but I also know that she doesn't always like to have me around, especially when it concerns you and Henry. I also knew that it would be too soon to have her with us after last night so I had to do something before either she or Henry got the idea. So you're welcome sis." Zelena concentrated on her daughter again, leaving Regina feeling incredibly guilty. Everything her sister had said was true, because Emma truly didn't always enjoy the redheads company. It was a brilliant plan and observation, she had to admit.

"Zelena... I'm sorry. I... I panicked." Regina whispered without meeting her sister eyes. She had to get a grip of herself and her emotions before everything was gonna blow on her face.

"I understand, Regina, I really do but I also do not take so kindly to be accused when the only thing I try to do is to protect you." Zelena didn't want to fight with her sister, those days were behind them but she also didn't want Regina to think she could get angry at her every turn. She might love her sister, but that was something she would not stand.

"I know. I'm sorry." Regina felt the need to apologize again. That was also the time Henry approached the table to join them again. He sat next to Regina again and wordlessly took her hand. Regina smiled before looking at him questionably. He shrugged. "You seemed a bit sad and whenever I take your hand you smile. I guess you just needed a smile."

Regina felt like crying on the spot. She felt so incredibly lucky, no matter what was happening with her feelings for Emma. Not too long ago she had felt she was completely alone, that she had no one left. Both of her parents had died, her sister was dead and her son didn't want to have anything to do with her. Looking at her table at the diner now, she saw her son talking animatedly with her sister, who was playing with the tiny feet of baby Robyn. She was welcome everywhere and people weren't afraid of her anymore. She was friends with Snow freaking White and she had a best friend for the first time in her life. Granted she was madly in love with the said best friend, but still.

She could feel a stab in her heart, but she tried to tamper the pain down. She knew she could do this. She had to.


	2. Chapter 2

Notes:  
I'm sorry it took me a while to upload the new chapter here! I uploaded it to AO3 a while ago, but on that day this site was down. But here it is! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

After dinner the Mills family decided to walk home. It seemed that there was no shutting Henry up tonight as the teen still seemed to have stories to tell. Which was a miracle in and on itself considering they had all been apart only for few days. Regina felt content to just listen, whereas her sister seemed to have something to say about everything. It warmed Regina's heart that Henry got along with Zelena so well and how fast Zelena had taken to Henry. She had no doubt that if something were even to happen to her, Zelena would look after Henry. Or vice versa.

Walk to Mifflin didn't take that long and as soon as they got back in Henry started yawning. Regina pressed a kiss to his cheek and wished him goodnight and that really didn't leave any room to argue. He rushed up the stairs to get ready for bed as it really was getting late. Zelena took her turn to wish her good nights before taking Robyn up to their room. Regina was left standing in the foyer, quite unsure what she should do next. She wasn't all that sleepy so she decided to open the television for a minute. She hadn't been a fan of television before she got Henry and as he grew up she got interested. Lately all her time had gone for avoiding disasters, so few minutes in front of a TV were quite welcome.

Kicking her heels off she made it to the livinroom and to her comfortable couch. She snuggled into the pillows and turned on the TV. Surfing through the channels she quickly realised there was nothing to watch. Simply nothing. None the less she settled on another cooking show that television seemed to have endless supply of, just so she could huff at the incompetence of their cooking skills. She and Emma had often done it before...

Regina swallowed thickly. Before her and Hook had gotten together. After that they hardly had time for each other anymore. Shaking her head Regina tried to yet again physically remove the blonde from her mind. It wasn't really working so she tried to concentrate on the show again.

Several episodes went by and Regina's victorious smirk was getting larger and larger with every passing failure of the so called 'super chefs'. In the middle of yet another babble of excuses from said chefs, there was a faint knock on the door. Regina tore her eyes from the TV to check the time, and was surprised to notice it was nearing midnight. There definitely shouldn't be anyone seeking to visit her at this hour. Making her way quickly to the door she listened was there anyone moving upstairs. She didn't hear anything so she opened the door quietly.

Her heart jumped to her throat as she saw a familiar figure standing on her porch with her hands tightly tucked into the back pockets of her jeans and blonde hair loosely framing her pale face.

"Hi." Emma whispered, smiling tentatively.

Regina wanted to slam the door closed and run. She was not ready for this confrontation, not in a million years, and definitely not today. She had not build her walls back up properly after Zelena tore them down, so Emma could definitely see right through her if she just asked the right questions. Fuck fuck fuck.

"Hey." Regina could hear herself answering and she cursed herself. So apparently she was going to do this now.

"Why didn't you answer your cell? I... I was worried." the blonde was shuffling with her feet nervously, trying not to look at Regina.

"I haven't heard anyone calling." she took her phone from her own jean pocket. "Apparently my phone died while I was having dinner with Henry and Zelena." Regina returned the dead phone into her pocket.

"Oh, okay." Emma sighed but she didn't seem fully relieved. Regina found it funny that whenever Emma felt super awkward and closed off, she somehow found a new gear in her own boldness.

"Was there something you needed?" Regina asked, leaning on her door frame, crossing her arms. Green eyes were wildly trying to find a place to settle, since looking at the floor seemed to be the wrong choice.

"I wanted to talk to you." Emma sighed and suddenly green locked with brown. Ever since the blonde had made her way into the town, there had been a certain amount of electricity whenever their eyes locked. It left Regina breathless.

"Talk about what?" Regina whispered, trying her hardest not to let her voice waver.

"Can I come inside?" Emma asked and took a step forward in order to enter the house.

Regina panicked. She fully and truly did. "I think we can talk here, Miss Swan."

She could see how Emma's face darkened and her lips turned even further down. Calling Emma 'Miss Swan' like this was like poison between them. There were times and situations where Miss Swan was playful and humorous, but lately it had only put a strain on their friendship. And Regina truly regretted calling Emma that now.

"I thought we talked about the whole Miss Swan thing." Emma gritted her teeth, trying to keep her hurt in. She didn't want Regina to worry but for some reason this was breaking her.

"I know we did, but-" Regina was interrupted with Emma lifting her hand up to silence her. Emma closed her eyes for a while and when she opened them, the hurt was plain to see. Regina gasped quietly and reached out to lay her hand gently on Emma's shoulder. Her not shrugging it off was relief. "I'm sorry, Emma. I guess I'm just tired, is all." Regina whispered.

What she did not see coming, were the tears that suddenly started to leak out of green eyes. Emma Swan did not cry without a good reason so this was something that scared Regina. Without noticing she reached out for Emma and wrapped her into her arms. Emma's arms circled her waist as she hid her face in the space between Regina's shoulder and neck.

It felt so right to hold Emma like this, so tightly but it was all still so soft and gentle. They had never really done this before. They had hugged a few times, but being physically affectionate wasn't something they did. Regina had admitted that she would love to have that aspect in their friendship but she knew that hiding her feelings for Emma was easier if they didn't constantly touch each other. Today seemed to be the day they broke all of the rules though.

Tears streamed down freely as the younger woman clung to Regina like her life depended on it. She fisted Regina's shirt on her hands and she could feel how wet her tears were making Regina's shoulder. But she couldn't stop.

"Emma... Emma? Please talk to me." Regina whispered, slowly brushing her fingers through Emma's mane of blonde hair. That seemed to have an calming effect on the blonde as her breathing started to calm down.

"Do you hate me?" the question was so quiet that Regina nearly missed it completely but when her brain registered it, she pushed Emma further from herself to look her in the eyes. The green eyes were puffy with all the crying but still the most beautiful ones she had ever seen.

"Emma Swan, how can you even think that?!" Regina wasn't sure should she feel insulted or worried. She knew they weren't as close as they used to be, but there were clear reasons to that. But she never wanted Emma to think she hated her, especially when the truth was everything but.

"Because. We hardly talk anymore, you have started to call me, Miss Swan again." Emma swallowed tightly. "You look so distant, 'Gina, and I don't know what I have done, but whatever it is, let me fix it... please?" her bottom lip was wobbling furiously and she looked more like a lost girl she ever had before. Regina wanted to hold her again, to tell her how loved she was, but she knew she couldn't do that.

But she knew what. "Emma, listen to me. I do not hate you, I never could. Maybe once, years ago I thought I did, but you are my best friend. And you'd know when I was being mad at you. I mean, you have been at the receiving end of my anger a couple of times." Regina winked at Emma and the blonde smiled. "And when it comes to being distant... I do feel like we haven't had time to be together as we used to, but I guess that's what happens when you find more family..." they both quieted down for a while, each deep in thought.

"But." Regina continued after a while. "I will try and make time for us, okay?" Emma notted furiously, smiling a little. Regina knew that whatever happened, she always wanted to be the reason Emma smiled. And to never make her cry again.

She knew it was gonna hurt, she knew that being so close to Emma would only cause problems, but she missed the girl. She missed being her friend and she would never be so distant again. Even if it was gonna break her heart even more.

Comfortable silence had fallen between them, but suddenly Emma cracked her signature grin. "Can I have another hug?"

Regina laughed and opened her arms as Emma took an eager step towards her. When their previous hug had been desperate and emotional, this was warm. All warm and tight. Regina was sure Emma could feel her heart nearly beat out of her chest. The hug wasn't lingering like the other one and when Emma pulled back, she was smiling really big.

It was easy to see that Emma was gaining confidence again, as the silly grin didn't seem to disappear and her hands made it back into her pockets again. Certain cockiness really suited Emma Swan and Regina only now realised how long it had been since she last saw Emma like this. It was that no good pirate. He was not right for Emma.

"Do you feel better now?" Regina asked playfully with a real smile gracing her face.

"I do." Emma smiled back before looking at her shoes shyly. "I missed you."

Regina's heart skipped a beat and her smile only widened. "I missed you too."

"I think I should get going, it's getting late." Emma said and took a step backwards without taking her eyes off Regina. Regina had a sudden urge to ask her to stay, but that was out of the question so she just notted. Emma somehow managed to go down the stairs without turning away from Regina. She waved at her before disappearing behind the hedges.

Regina closed the door, but the smile stayed on her face. Leaning against her door, she let out a long sigh. It was a mystery to her what Emma could make her feel. She felt such pure affection and love whenever they were together. She wanted to protect and hold and be with her. But whenever they were apart or she saw her with the pirate... She could feel her heart break anew every single time.

She didn't hear someone come down the stairs before she heard a question directed at her. "What are you doing?"

Brown eyes snapped to look at her sister wrapped in the fluffiest green bathrobe. She had crossed her arms and looked at her with her eyebrow arched. Regina was quick to push away from the door and clear her throat.

"Nothing." she knew she wasn't convincing in any way and she had no idea how much Zelena had heard.

"And a bad liar too." Zelena shook her head. "Why do you keep torturing yourself like that. You love her so much and you willingly put yourself through situations like this. And promise to spend more time together." Zelena could physically see Regina build her wall up with every word that left her lips. "What are you doing?" she repeated.

"It's none of your business, Zelena." Regina gritted through her teeth. She knew her sister was right, that everything she said was correct. But she had no idea how to get out of the pit she had gotten herself into.

"You don't get to get angry with me Regina Mills. I'm only trying to keep you afloat when you seem to be wanting to drown yourself in the sea of Emma Swan." Zelena took a step forward, not ready to take any of her sisters bullshit.

That seemed to be the enough for the wall to crumble back down. Regina looked lost. So truly and utterly lost. Zelena realised she had seen that same look in someone else's eyes quite a bit lately. That made her eyes widen.

"I don't know what to do Zelena. It seems so messy and like I'm going back and forth and in reality that's what's really happening. I know we will never be together, but she is a constant in my life none the less. We will always be linked through Henry. And the only thing worse than being around her all the time, is not being. I cannot stand to be apart from her! She is my best friend and yes, I do love her with all that I have. I will end up heartbroken anyway, so at least I get to stay in her life." Regina went on this massive rant, walking circles in her foyer, trying desperately not to cry in front of her sister once again.

Zelena didn't know what to say. Maybe because there was nothing she could say to help Regina. She had just explained what was going through her mind. And that also seemed to be her plan. No matter what, she was ready to keep Regina's head above the water.

"Go and get some sleep Regina, tomorrow's a new day." was what Zelena opted to say and relief flashed on Regina's face as she didn't have to go through her messy mind again.

The sisters closed of all the lights in the house before heading up the stairs together in a comfortable silence. Zelena pulled Regina in a hug when they needed to part on Regina's bedroom door. Regina smiled faintly at her sister before going to her room.

She had no idea what tonight would bring and could she have any sleep. She hoped that she could, she really did.

* * *

After tossing and turning for the better part of the night, Regina woke up early in the morning to someone moving downstairs. She had gotten tops two hours of sleep during the entire night. That's why she aimed for the bathroom, in hopes of not hitting a door frame on her way there.

A quick shower and brushing of her teeth led her to her closet where she picked yet again one of her comfy t-shirts and leggings before heading down. She had loosened up in the last few years and felt free to wear whatever she wished in the safety of her own home.

Yawning she padded downstairs and in her half asleep state she didn't notice that there was something missing. There was no music.

Entering the kitchen she stopped in her tracks. There was a woman in her kitchen, a very specific woman.

In seconds green eyes locked with brown and a wide smile spread on the pale lips. "Good morning Gina! I'm making breakfast! I hope you're hungry!"

Oh shit.


	3. Chapter 3

_After tossing and turning for the better part of the night, Regina woke up early in the morning to someone moving downstairs. She had gotten tops two hours of sleep during the entire night. That's why she aimed for the bathroom, in hopes of not hitting a door frame on her way there._

 _A quick shower and brushing of her teeth led her to her closet where she picked yet again one of her comfy t-shirts and leggings before heading down. She had loosened up in the last few years and felt free to wear whatever she wished in the safety of her own home._

 _Yawning she padded downstairs and in her half asleep state she didn't notice that there was something missing. There was no music._

 _Entering the kitchen she stopped in her tracks. There was a woman in her kitchen, a very specific woman._

 _In seconds green eyes locked with brown and a wide smile spread on the pale lips. "Good morning Gina! I'm making breakfast! I hope you're hungry!"_

 _Oh shit._

* * *

Regina stood in the doorway, unable to move. When she had woken up from her restless sleep, this was not what she expected to see. Not even close.

Emma was moving around her kitchen like she had always been there, like it was all in her daily routine. And it hurt Regina's heart to remember that once it had been. When things had been good, Emma had been around Mifflin nearly daily.

It seemed like the blonde was completely unaware of the brunettes stupor as she kept chattering as she was making what looked like pancakes.

"I thought I would make pancakes. I know you secretly like them even when you always remind people about healthy diet. They are also Henry's favorite, I mean the kid loves anything with even a slightest bit of sugar in it." she flipped another pancake in the pan. "Also I have never heard Zelena turn down food."

"Emma.." Regina whispered, trying her hardest to gather herself. Emma turned in the mention of her own name and smiled widely at Regina, which made the brunette falter. She had so many questions but nothing made it past her lips.

"Yes Regina?" Emma asked, cocking her head slightly to the side, making her look like a tiny golden retriever.

Regina felt silly that the blondes presence alone could affect her in such way. When exactly did she turn into this blushing school girl with a crush? She had been in love with Emma for ages but suddenly it was so hard to keep inside.

She didn't have time to form a question because that was the moment Henry walked into the kitchen. He didn't seem at all bothered that his blonde mother was in their house, making breakfast. He slumped into one of the chairs in the kitchen island and laid his head on the table, letting out a big yawn. Both mothers looked at him quietly, waiting for him to comment.

"Ma, could you please continue making those pancakes please? I'm absolutely starving."

That made Emma laugh as she retook her place next to the stove, pouring more patter into the pan. Regina watched the scene unfold, getting surer and surer that this was all a dream. This is what she wanted. These domestic mornings with her son and his other mother.

She hesitantly took the seat next to Henry, careful not to jostle the balance. Emma and Henry were chatting like this was any other normal day and without them noticing Regina pinched her own arm to make sure she was actually awake. The pinch stung like a bitch so this must be real. Her heartbeat was getting faster and she grew warmer as the moment sank in. She felt really happy. She was aware that it might not last for long but at the moment it was enough.

And it didn't last long.

"Well, well, good morning." said the voice from the doorway. Regina closed her eyes for a second before turning to look at her sister. Zelena was holding baby Robyn in her arms, staring right at her sister with an unreadable look in her eyes.

"Good morning, I made pancakes." Emma offered, none the wiser about the suddenly tight atmosphere that had filled the kitchen.

"I could smell them all the way to my room. Henry, would you be so kind and put Robyn into her chair? I need to talk to Regina about something." Zelena smiled at her nephew who eagerly walked to greet Robyn.

"Oh and the formula is in the-" Zelena started but Emma interrupted her, waving a bottle.

"I got it Zelena, don't worry." Emma smiled and waved at baby Robyn who waved enthusiastically back.

Regina had gotten up and moved closer to her sister who swiftly pulled her from the room. Once they were safe distance away from kitchen, Zelena turned to Regina, clearly angry.

"What the hell Regina?!"

Regina tried to look offended, but she couldn't quite muster that up. That had been her first thought this morning when discovering Emma in her kitchen making breakfast, but if she was honest with herself or with her sister, it felt really nice. Which is why she kept her mouth shut and tried to avoid eye contact.

"Regina." Zelena hissed. "Why are you doing this?"

That made Regina's head snap up and fire burn in her eyes. Oh she was not gonna be blamed for this. "I am not doing anything. I didn't invite her here this morning." Regina whispered, now just as angry as her sister.

"You promised more time together! I don't wanna call you out on this, but this is a mistake. She is with Hook, you cannot go destroying yourself over someone like her! She's not worth it!" Zelena was losing her patience and from the look on Regina's face, she knew she had stepped over the line.

Regina straightened her back and looked at Zelena coldly. Zelena hadn't seen that look in ages, not since they mended their relationship and it made her stomach drop that she was on the receiving end of that now.

Regina whispered coldly, with the full regalness of a queen she once had been. "She is worth everything Zelena. I'm done discussing this with you. Now if you'll excuse me." she made a beeline towards the kitchen, leaving Zelena in her dust.

The redhead wanted to scream as she had unintentionally ruined the trust she had spend a long time building with her sister. All for being too worried about her sisters safety, but it seemed like Regina had no care for her own well being when it came to Emma Swan. Zelena let out a long sigh and made her way slowly towards the kitchen.

The breakfast was an interesting affair. Henry and Emma were constantly chattering like this was a common scene happening every morning. Regina didn't look at Zelena's way once, even when the older sister tried to make eye contact more than once. She knew she had to apologize, but Regina was so damn stubborn. Emma had made a big patch of pancakes for them all to share, but without two of the Mills' knowing, she made a extra special one for Regina. She had slightly clumsily made a pancake into a crown shape and topped that with apple jam as Regina often preferred it. Regina looked at the pancake confused and then up at Emma, who had slight blush on her cheeks as she just notted. That made Regina's heart feel so impossibly light and she cut the crown carefully into smaller bits.

After breakfast Zelena and Robyn left for their mommy-daughter stroller walk around Storybrooke since it was a beautiful day and wasting it inside was almost criminal. Regina wasn't sure what Emma had planned for the rest of her day and she was almost afraid to ask, but Emma seemed to be happy to provide that information without her having to.

"So me and Henry thought we might go to the beach. And I was wondering, well.. We were wondering, would you want to join us?" the question was asked in a awkward manner that was now almost signature for Emma, topped with her irresistible grin.

Regina's mind quickly directed her towards the possibilities of seeing Emma in her bikini. But that was far outweighed by the chance of a family day. A word family brought to her mind someone, who might be included in this plan as well and it made Regina's stomach boil.

"What about Hook? Is he coming?"

That surprised Emma completely. It seemed like she hadn't even thought of that, but after short deliberation, Emma shrugged and said. "Nah, I want to spend today with you and Henry."

It shouldn't have made Regina's heart do back flips, but god it definitely did. She tried to convince herself that this didn't mean anything, that Emma was gonna go back to Hook tonight anyway. Yeah, Emma just wanted to be around Henry and that meant she felt like she needed to invite Regina as well. Yeah, that's what it was.

Three of them got ready for their beach day with the most calming fashion. Regina packed a cooler full of food, knowing full well that Emma and Henry would be hungry at some point. Henry took Emma to the garage to look for some pool toys Regina had gotten him few years back. Regina could hear their loud talking and laughing all the way to the kitchen and she smiled warmly. Trying as she might she couldn't stop the calmness that settled over her. She wanted to cherish these moments but she also didn't. The more she let herself do that, more likely she was to be in pain later. Well, more pain.

Emma insisted on driving so the family packed themselves into a small yellow bug that somehow had survived all these years in the magical town. Regina was making annoyed comments about the car all the way to the beach but that merely made Emma and Henry laugh, both of them having heard the insults many times before.

The weather had brought out nearly everyone else in Storybrooke as well it seemed. When they arrived the beach was full, but with determination only someone with Swan blood could posses, Emma and Henry topped their arms full of all the things they needed and headed towards the corner of the beach near the rocks. Regina was left to lock the bug and to carry her own beach bag. She was making her way to follow the two when she heard her name being called.

She spun around to see Mal making her way to her, looking anything but a witch she had once been. Regina realised just how much they both had changed and how good their life was compared to the times years ago in the Enchanted Forest. She smiled at her friend and they hugged in greeting.

"Well, well, look at you! You crawled out of that mansion of yours to enjoy the sun with the peasants." Mal laughed and Regina couldn't help but laugh at her friends sense of humor.

"You could say that." Regina smiled and that was the moment when Mal noticed the car they were still standing next to. That made her smirk evilly and Regina tried her hardest to look anywhere but at her friend.

"Enjoying the sun with the wife then it seems." somehow the smirk on the former dragons face seemed to get bigger and bigger, growing just as fast as Regina's discomfort. The word 'wife' made Regina's head snap towards the older woman though and her eyes flashed with something.

"Mal, would you stop? She is not my-" but before she could finish her sentence, Mal threw her head back in uproar of laughter. Regina looked at her dumbfounded, unable to understand what had gotten into her friend. It took Mal a good few minutes to calm down enough but when she finally did, she got suddenly serious.

"Regina... You can try to fool anyone, try to fool her, but you cannot fool me. I know you and I can see how much you love her." when Regina opened her mouth to argue, Mal raised her hand to silence her before continuing. "Your secret is safe with me, but for the love of god... Tell Emma."

"Mal..." Regina felt suddenly broken, the lightness of the last few hours leaving her in a big swoosh. "I can't do that to her. She is with Hook. She is with him because she loves him and decides everyday actively to be with him. I cannot ruin that for her. I cannot ruin what we have now, Henry would never forgive me." tears were quickly gathering into her eyes and she tried to will them back.

Mal looked at Regina, feeling her heart break for her friend. She pulled Regina into a hug which the other woman returned a second later. Looking over Regina's shoulder she could see a furious looking blonde stride towards them with a steel in her eyes. A smirk was already pulling at her lips again as she whispered into Regina's ear. "If she actively chooses to be with him everyday, ask yourself this... Why is she here with you today?"

Regina opened her mouth to answer but she was interrupted by the sound of clearly agitated blonde. "Umm, Regina?"

Mal watched in amazement how in only few short seconds Regina transformed from the teary eyed, clearly heartbroken woman into a queen who let not emotion slip if she so chose. What the brunette woman couldn't hide though was the immerse happiness that seeing Emma caused. Her eyes light up and the rigidness from her posture was suddenly gone.

"Yes?" she asked gently smiling. Mal's eyes widened when she saw how Emma's annoyance melted away only to be replaced with the same kind of gentle smile Regina was sporting. It looked like the world had disappeared from around them and they were the only ones even here. Oh god.

"Henry and I found a perfect spot near the rocks if you'd..." she sounded suddenly quieter, more timid and uncharacteristically shy. "... if you'd want to come and see?"

"I'd love to."

Regina's smile was brighter than the sun that was shining over the beach. Emma started to slowly back away, kinda beckoning Regina to come with her and the brunette started to follow after her like in daze.

"So, I'll call you later Regina?" Mal said mostly to herself, quite sure that neither of the women were no longer listening to anything she had to say. Emma shot her a dirty glare, already slipping her hand lightly around Regina's waist to guide her towards the so called 'perfect spot'.

"You are each others perfect spot, I swear to god you are both idiots." Mal muttered while shaking her head. She wanted to do something to help her friend who was clearly in agony and completely unaware that her feelings so obviously weren't one sided. But what could she do? If she somehow messed this up, Regina would murder her and everyone else in this town as her broken heart was surely gonna burn them all. But if she planned this well, she might be able to give the women a little nudge. She knew she couldn't do this alone though...

* * *

Regina had to hand it to Henry and Emma. The place they had found was absolutely perfect. It was shielded enough by the high rocks so that they would be getting some privacy as the entire town really was at the beach with them. It was also perfectly positioned to catch all the rays of sun until the very evening. They had a full day ahead of them, sun to enjoy, food to eat and the best company possible.

By the time Emma led Regina to their secret place, Henry had already done most of the organizing. He had opened this massive umbrella he and Emma had found from the garage. He remembered it well, even though it had been years since they had last used it. His mom had always packed it with them whenever she took him to the beach. And Henry had always loved swimming so they had used it a lot. Still it was as good as new, working perfectly without a single fluff of dust on it.

Under the umbrella there were the coolers and few bags containing all their towels and plastic silverware that Regina had insisted they needed. He had already gathered some of her swimming toys, including a big rubber shark. Emma had also brought a volleyball and a Frisbee from her place, full on ready for a beach day.

"Hi moms!" Henry greeted smiling widely and waving his hands around to gesture to his masterpiece. "We are all set up!"

Two sets of smiles were send his way and he quickly busied himself getting the plastic shark ready so he could go swimming as soon as possible. Meanwhile Emma could feel Regina shifting beside her. Looking at the brunette woman, she asked quietly:

"Is this okay? Do you like it?"

Regina turned to look at Emma as well and her breath got stuck in her throat. The sun was giving Emma a halo, shining from just the right angle behind the angelic hair. Regina had noted that the blonde had let it open today, small waves making her look a lot like she did when she first arrived to town. And for the first time in what seemed like ages, Emma had that fire burning behind her eyes. She seemed... happy, carefree, just like she should be feeling. Regina had to shake herself from her thoughts, because Emma's brows had started to frown as concern was making its way on her face.

"Oh Emma, it's beautiful here. I have lived in this town for over 30 years and I have never known there to be a place like this." Regina gestured around, her eyes getting stuck on her son who was still trying to work his way around the swim toys.

"I thought you might like it. I know you don't much enjoy when there are larger amounts of people, so this works for that as well." Emma smiled, taking Regina's hand lightly as she pulled her towards Henry's set up.

What Emma didn't know, was that her touch set Regina's entire arm on fire. Regina was suddenly very aware of every single bit of skin that was touching Emma's. It's not like this was the first time they touched each other, but it was one of the rare times after the engagement. The word engagement was like someone had thrown icy water on her. It made her remember things that she would rather forget in order to fully enjoy the day they had ahead as a family.

Regina blobbed down on the towel that was waiting for her on the ground. She considered burying her face into her hands as she so wished, but she knew she would alarm both Emma and Henry. And she wasn't about to ruin today. What she did though, was busying herself as her mind kept raging on. She was unsure should she be worried that her mind was going on such tailspin on rather regular basis. She went from being the happiest person on earth to feeling so low and broken in the matter of seconds. Is it gonna be like this forever, Regina couldn't help but to think as she watched how Emma had gone to help Henry to get the shark ready.

"Mom, I'm going swimming!" Henry announced as he dashed towards the shore. Regina could feel the familiar squeeze of her heart as she saw Henry enter the water. She was always so worried for her son, and he knew that swimming was one of the 'even worse' things for her. Which is why she really appreciated Henry letting her know he was gonna dive in so she could keep a careful eye on him.

"Hey Regina, I'm gonna join the kid. Are you coming with us?" Emma informed her as well as she jogged over to her and started pulling of her clothes.

Regina tried her hardest not to stare, but as yellow bikini was discovered underneath the summer get up, Regina couldn't help herself. As if it wasn't enough that Emma Swan was an amazing friend, and even better mother, but she had to be so damn gorgeous as well. The blonde seemed to remain completely oblivious though as she kept rambling on about the beach and the sea. The brunette woman wanted nothing more in this very moment than to pull Emma to her and kiss her senseless.

Her inner musings were interrupted as Emma repeated the question. "Will you come with us?" The entire question was asked in such a sweet hopeful voice that Regina had no other options.

"I will."

The next few hours were spend purely in the water. Emma and Regina took turns pushing Henry around on the massive plastic shark and the laugh that Henry let out was so contagious that the mothers couldn't help but join him. Henry and Emma also challenged Regina to try to stand on her hands and stick her legs out of the water. They should have known better than to challenge a Mills into anything as Regina refused to stop until she made it. That left her holding her nose in agony as the salt water always made its way in as she was rolling to get right way around. That was when Emma wrapped her arms around her in a surprise hug and soothed her sweetly. Regina had no idea how, but her nose was definitely feeling a lot better afterwards.

Henry made a first inquiry about food around that time and Regina led the other two to the coolers as she spread out the most wonderful set of picnic food ever seen. Henry and Emma ate with great gusto and were heading back towards the water before Regina stopped them, reminding them both that they had to wait at least an hour after food. Both made whiny noises, but made their way back under the umbrella to lay down for a while.

Henry had packed some comics that they all read happily, swapping stories and opinions on which superhero would be the best. Regina and Henry ended up having an argument on opinions, but they were both smiling wide because they had had the same conversation so many times it was ridiculous.

It was getting closer to the evening as Regina was reading under the umbrella as Emma and Henry had made their way back to the ocean a good while ago. She was turning page in her novel but stopped as she heard a slight vibrating sound. She looked around for her phone but quickly deduced that it wasn't hers. Looking over at Henry's phone that was laying on his towel and realizing it wasn't his either, she set out to find Emma's phone.

The phone was pushed deep into the pocket of the blondes jean shorts. Regina tried to get to it quickly and answered without checking who was calling. And she definitely should have done that.

"Emma's phone, Regina speaking."

The line was quiet. Regina was patiently waiting and just as she was about to ask who was it, a deeply angered voice asked. "Regina, what are you doing with Swan's phone?"

Regina closed her eyes and wished for the gods to turn back time so she would never answer the phone. She took a few calming breaths before answering the question she was asked. "Well, I'm answering it as she is otherwise occupied." she wasn't gonna make this easy for Hook in any way.

"Give her the phone." was growled into her ear but Regina just rolled her eyes. The least he could do was to ask nicely. Regina could feel her lips stretch into a smirk. Oh how she loved to push Hooks buttons to annoy him.

"She is busy, I will tell her you called." Regina said, hearing him huff on the other end of the phone. She could literally feel how Hook's anger was starting to boil over. And that was making Regina really happy.

"I need to speak to her NOW." he was nearly yelling and Regina was getting more pleased by the second. But what stopped her happiness were the next words that filthy pirate spat at her through the phone. "I want to speak to what's mine!"

Now Regina could have easily handled any ill word Hook could have said about her. It wasn't like she hadn't heard all of it before and she knew how to take it. But the way Hook was laying claim on Emma made her blood boil in turn. The way Hook did it seemed so... dirty, that it actually made Regina sick. And it wasn't enough that Emma was being claimed but Hook made her sound like an object instead of a person.

"You listen to me you slimy waste of oxygen. You leave her alone. She is enjoying herself for once." Regina growled into the phone, her eyes following her son and his other mother who were making a massive sand castle by the shore.

"I still need to speak to her and I have every right to do that." Hook said, and it was obvious he was enjoying rattling Regina up just as much as Regina enjoyed doing the same to him. Regina didn't remember the last time she wanted to kill someone so bad.

"You have no right to her. She will speak with you when she wishes and right now she is spending time with our son." Regina wanted to scream but she knew if she so much as raised her voice Emma would hear her. And she rather not have the blonde witness this conversation.

There was a moment of quiet. As Hook started to talk Regina could physically feel the twisted smile he had in place. "She is mine, not yours, Your Majesty."

Regina felt a wave of sickness wash over her as she ended the call. She threw the phone to the general direction of Emma's jeans and laid her head against her knees that had made their way towards her chest. She wasn't sure was that just a comment or did Hook know something. But if it was the latter... She knew he could make her life a living hell in the most painful of ways.

Regina was too busy cursing her emotions that she didn't notice how Emma had hurriedly made her way to her. Only when she laid her hand on her shoulder, did her head snap up and she came face to face with the blonde. Just a breath could fit in the space between their faces and for a short moment they just looked each other in the eyes, neither in no rush to part.

Emma let out a puff of warm air and Regina could feel it in her entire body. The blonde pulled back a little bit and before speaking. "Are you okay?"

Regina wasn't sure what to say. More than anything she wanted to tell Emma what Hook had said but she couldn't do that now. Not when they had such a wonderful day ahead of them. No. This had to wait.

"Yes, I'm fine." Regina smiled at the blonde who looked a bit less concerned but not totally convinced. "The heat is getting to me a bit. Storybrooke wasn't exactly the warmest place on Earth for 28 years."

That made Emma crack up and blob down to sit next to the brunette. Another slightly sun burnt arm was casually wrapped around Regina's shoulder when the other one was reaching towards the cooler to get Regina some water.

Regina gulped down half of the bottle in one go and took some deep breaths. Emma was still looking at her weirdly but she didn't ask again, knowing better than to push. Change of topic was Emma's way to go about this.

"The kid seems to be having fun."

They both looked up at their son who was trying to mold one of the turrets in the massive sand castle he and Emma had build over the course of the last few hours. A serene calmness washed over them ans they looked over, both content in just observing.

"Thank you."

Green eyes turned from Henry to lock with the chocolate brown ones already gazing at her direction. Regina could swear that her heart always lost at least two beats every time their eyes met. It definitely had meant a lot of missed beats over the years. Emma didn't have to vocalize her question because it was shining in her eyes so Regina elaborated.

"For inviting me."

Another smile broke down on the pink lips and before Regina knew it Emma had them pressed to the side of her head and strong arms had pulled her closer to the blondes side. Regina could feel her own arm disobey every single of her commands as it made its way over Emma's muscular stomach to respond to the blondes one armed hug.

"You don't have to thank me, Regina. I just wanted to spend a day with my family."

Regina could feel her heart break and sing at the same time. Oh god, what had she gotten herself into.

* * *

At the same time in the other side of the town, another blonde was picking up a phone. She thanked the modern world for the ability to save phone numbers so she didn't have to memorize them. That would be just way too much trouble.

She didn't have to wait for long until the other person picked up. A questioning hello was the only answer she got but that definitely confirmed she was talking with the person she searching for.

"Zelena? It's Mal. I need your help."

* * *

MERRY CHRISTMAS SWEN!  
I hope everyone is enjoying their holigays!


	4. Chapter 4

Emma dropped Regina and Henry off at the mansion at the end of the day. They had stayed at the beach as long as it had been warm, but coming to the first shivers and the sun going down, Henry had not so subtly hinted that he was ready to go home to the warmth of the mansion.

They had gathered all their things up again, coolers definitely more lighter only with few drinks left as all of the food had been devoured by Emma and Henry as they wanted to save it from 'going to waste'. Regina had remarked that ever since she started to have Emma over for dinner, food hadn't gone to waste. Emma shot her with her best evil eye and Henry laughed loudly. It had been the perfect day.

Emma helped Regina carry the beach toys and the umbrella into the garage as Henry pushed the front door open to take in the food things and his mother's bag. The blonde reached up to close the garage door with a loud bang and then there was just quiet.

They were looking at each other, both comfortable in their shared silence. In a while though, Emma felt like she had to break it.

"I had a really great day."

Regina's lips pulled into a wide smile as she answered truthfully. "It was one of the best days of my life."

That in turn made Emma smile really big as she opened her arms to welcome Regina into a hug. Regina didn't waste any time as she eagerly stepped closer and wrapped her arms tightly around Emma's waist and laid her head on her shoulder. She could feel how her heart was going to beat out of her chest, but as Emma laid her own head against hers, she was sure she was gonna pass out.

Oh how she loved Emma and how she wished this was what they could have everyday.

But they were friends, best friends and Emma had promised herself to someone else. No matter how affectionate they would get, the blonde couldn't feel that way towards her, no matter how much she wanted her to. Emma was on her way **home** , to _him_. The thought alone nearly made Regina gag.

She was going to pull away but Emma made it before her. She seemed happy though, not at all aware of the inner turmoil Regina was once again sucked in. "I have to get going. I promised mom I would stop in to see Neal for a bit before heading home."

"Of course." Regina took a small step back and smiled slightly.

"See you tomorrow?" Emma asked hopefully, bouncing a little on the heel of her feet.

"Tomorrow." Regina smiled again. She could see Emma hesitate a bit before she leaned closer to kiss Regina's cheek. Without saying another word, she spun around and made her way towards the bug that was parked behind the hedges.

Regina lifted her fingers to slightly touch her cheek in amazement, but quickly dropped them when a voice said loudly behind the hedges. "Oh! Tell Henry I said goodnight and that I love him!"

Regina laughed at the silliness of her blonde savior as she raised her own voice to respond. "Will do! Drive safe!"

The only answer she got was the car door closing and the engine roaring to life. She stood in her spot until she could no longer hear the old yellow tin can, and slowly she made her way into the house. Locking the door behind her she slipped out of her shoes and made her way into the kitchen.

Henry was sitting on one of the stools by the island, drinking one of the leftover waters. Regina delightedly noted that Henry had put away all the leftovers and stored the coolers into their designated places. She came closer to kiss Henry's forehead which Henry accepted with a smile. He was holding his phone in his hand, no doubt going over the things he had missed while outing with his mothers.

Regina sat next to her son and let out a breath. Only then did she notice a piece of paper that was left on her pristine counter. In green cursive it said:

 _Hello my pretties!_

 _Me and Robyn have gone out and won't be back until late._

 _Don't wait up!_

 _\- Zelena_

"I wonder where has your auntie gone." Regina wondered out loud, slightly concerned as Zelena often always told her where she was going. Granted they hadn't been talking to each other since this morning as Regina had snapped at her about Emma. She had regrets concerning that but her sister had been poking a little bit too close to the truth.

"Probably causing chaos somewhere, I think Ma will call you about it soon enough if it's something pressing." Henry said without taking his eyes off of his phone.

"Why would Emma be calling me?" Regina was puzzled at her sons reply.

"Well she is the sheriff and you are her go-to partner in crime. Well in crime solving, but that's beside the point." Henry said without missing a beat. Regina accepted that since it was true, they made an effective team.

"Did you have fun today?" Regina asked, smoothing down Henry's still slightly damp hair.

Henry put down the phone and turned fully towards Regina. "I had the best day in a long time. I like when we are all together like this, like we used to be."

Regina could feel the sadness creeping into her smile. "I miss it too, but things are different now. There are more people in this... family." even thinking that Hook was a part of their family made Regina sick to her stomach.

"Hook is not family." Regina's eyes grew wide and Henry looked down sheepishly for a bit before looking up at his mom again. "I do not like him and how he treats Ma. It was already bad before the whole Dark One thing, but especially during it and after..." Henry had grown up a lot but right now he looked like that confused and concerned little 11 year old that had run out of town to look for his birth mother.

Regina had her opinions about Hook and she had never really tried to hide them. It was no secret she was not a fan of the pirate but she didn't want to cause any troubles with Emma though, so she settled on something mild and in between just to put her sons mind at ease.

"Emma is a big girl, Henry. If she wanted out, she would be doing that. But I do agree with you... He doesn't deserve her."

Henry looked at her closely and Regina could recognize that it was the same look that she herself often sported. It made her heart happy because they didn't need blood relation to be a mother and son. Henry was just as much hers as he was Emma's.

"You really do care about her, don't you?" Henry asked, knowing there was more to it but he didn't want to freak his mother out. He wasn't stupid or blind and it was obvious to see that there was something more going on here. He wanted to ask but his mom would build up a wall in seconds if he did.

"Of course I do Henry, she gave me you." Regina rushed to say, feeling uneasy with the suspicious look Henry was giving her.

"Hmmm, sure." was Henry's vague response as he got up and headed for the doorway. "I'm going to go wash away the sand! I will be down to say good nights after!"

Regina answered with an 'okay' before settling back into her thoughts. She had no idea what she was going to do. Everything was such a mess. Her mind, her feelings, her relationships. Right now she just wanted to... Actually she didn't know what she wanted. Maybe to feel a little less?

She was once again interrupted with opening and shutting of the door. She could hear the familiar cooing of good nights and pushing of trolley breaks, before tall redhead walked into the room. Their eyes met for a bit before Regina noted. "I thought you said you were gonna be home late?"

"We were faster than I thought." Zelena shrugged, turning the baby monitors volume up, putting the kettle on and fishing her favorite tea mug off the shelf. Henry had gotten it for her after they had gone to see Wicked on Broadway. Zelena had absolutely loved it and it had been a bonding moment between them.

"Whose we?" Regina didn't wanna pry but she was concerned. It was unlike Zelena to be out late.

"I don't think that's any of your business." Zelena said with a hint of coldness and Regina understood. She was just as much on the edge about their fight this morning as she was. Regina wanted to apologize but she didn't know how to go about it. She felt like she had every right to be upset but she didn't want to be upset with her sister. Not when they were finally reunited and had worked so hard for getting to the place they were in now.

"Zelena?"

Zelena just let out a grunt, looking intently at the kettle which was just about to be ready. Mal had offered her tea but it hadn't been the way she liked it. She knew she had to teach the dragon how to make tea if they were to be partners in their wicked plans.

"Zelena, I'm sorry." Regina breathed out quietly but that made the redhead turn completely towards her. Zelena never took those words lightly and she knew how hard it must have been for Regina to say them as the brunette wasn't one to apologise.

"Why are you sorry?" Zelena knew she had something to apologize as well but she wasn't as good at it as her sister was so to delay it, she asked a question.

"Because I snapped at you. I still think you crossed a line but I should have handled that differently instead of storming out and not talking to you at all." Regina looked remorseful. "I feel like I have gotten myself into such a mess and I have no idea how the get out of it." she could feel the tears burn behind her eyes.

Zelena walked closer and wrapped her arms around Regina. The brunette woman hugged her back trying her hardest to swallow down the tears that were trying to escape. "I'm sorry too, sis. I didn't mean to be so angry but I'm so worried about you. You just keep going back and forth and it will destroy you."

"I know but I don't know how to stop." Regina whispered. "I just love her so much that it's impossible to stay away. I want to be around her constantly, I want the small touches and hugs and kisses and hand holding, but every time I get even a smile I can feel my heart shatter because she is not mine. She wants to be with him. Why else would she be with him?"

Zelena was unsure how to respond. It was clear as day to her how much Emma loved Regina as well, but her sister had convinced herself that none of the obvious shows of affection meant nothing more than friendship. She was too wrapped in the fact that Emma had said yes to Hook's proposal.

When she had met up with Mal, the dragon lady had told her about what she had seen on the beach. How Mal's entire presence had made Emma jealous. It was so clear to the outsiders so why was is so completely lost on the two people who it actually concerned. Zelena knew her sister was scared of breaking her heart again and it was a valid fear. That poor organ had gone through more than it never should have and if something were to go wrong with Emma...

Zelena didn't even want to think about that. But she couldn't stand to see her sister slowly but surely killing her heart like this either when it was clear her feelings weren't one sided. Maybe she would stick to the plan and have a talk with Emma before talking to Regina. She and Mal had agreed to meet up for breakfast tomorrow at Granny's as that was the place for meeting Emma. She came in every morning, like a clockwork.

Trying to make Regina feel better, she silently held her tighter as her sister couldn't keep her sobs in any longer.

* * *

The next morning was a complete opposite of the previous morning. Zelena woke up into her alarm and rolled out of the bed quickly to greet her already awake daughter. It was unbelievable how much she loved her little girl. It helped her understand how Regina must have felt all those years ago when she adopted Henry and how that helped to redeem herself and to learn to love. It had taken Zelena a while to get the hang of the baby routine since she had never really been around any babies before she became a mother.

Regina had taught her everything she needed to know when it came to babies, all from changing a diaper and feeding to getting them dressed. Now like a pro, she changed her daughter out of her dirty diaper before dressing her into a green onsie. Wrapping herself into bathrobe, she picked her little girl up and made her way downstairs, unsure what she would find.

The actual scene she walked into was actually really sad. Regina was sitting on one of the stools, nursing a cup of coffee, looking into the nothingness. She normally got even somewhat dressed before coming down but today she was wearing wrinkly pair of grey pants that Zelena was quite sure were Emma's and one of her old band t-shirts from the time when she had entered the land without magic. She had clearly slept in her current get up and her hair was pulled up into a messy little bun, half of the hair escaping and curling in the base of her neck.

She didn't turn when Zelena entered the kitchen, but when Robyn made a sound in greeting, she turned only to smile brightly at her niece. She reached for the baby and Zelena released the now squirming ball of excitement into the safety of her sisters arms. Zelena didn't know what it was with Regina and babies. Any baby she came in contact with loved her so much and they were always happy to see her and the feeling was very mutual. For a former Evil Queen, Regina was amazing with children.

"How did you sleep?" Zelena asked, preparing her morning cup of tea.

"I slept." was a simple reply but they both knew that it meant it had been another bad night.

"Do you want me to cook you breakfast?" Zelena asked, knowing she already had breakfast plans but she had to come up with something for her sister and nephew.

"No, but thank you." Regina said without looking at her sister. She felt embarrassed that she kept grumbling down in front of her sister on nearly daily basis now. Regina Mills had always presented a hard and strong cover for the outside world but for some reason she couldn't anymore. Maybe the years of armors had taken their toll and she was now unable to hide. The thought terrified her.

At the same time Henry made his way into the kitchen. He looked around and his mouth turned downwards as he too realised that it was gonna be a different kind of morning compared to yesterday. He slumped next to his mother on the island and took a sip out of her coffee cup before putting it back down in front of her.

He didn't notice everything went still but when he lifted his gaze he could see the wide eyes of his mother and the amused ones of his aunt. The only explanation he offered was "Ma lets me take sips of her coffee." and that seemed to somehow completely calm Regina down as she once more concentrated on the baby in her arms.

"Henry do you want some breakfast?" Zelena asked, knowing she had to find a way to get to have her own breakfast soon.

"Actually I was thinking... Mom, could we go to Granny's for breakfast? I mean, that way neither of you have to cook." Henry looked at Regina, breaking out his puppy eyes. Zelena knew she had to come up with something the minute that happened, because everyone knew that Regina could not deal with Henry's puppy dog eyes.

And she was correct. "Very well, but you have to go and get ready." and without having to tell him twice he shot into the stairs to get ready for their morning outing.

"Well, that means we have to get ready as well, munchkin." Zelena took Robyn from her sister, cursing silently in her mind. She had to text Mal about this, because no talking would happen if Regina and Henry were gonna be there.

* * *

In 40 minutes all four Mills' were out of the door and walking in the morning sunshine towards Granny's. Henry was holding his moms hand because like he had said few days ago, it made Regina smile and he felt like his mother really needed a smile this morning.

He was telling her about a new movie he wanted to go and see, and Regina was intently listening and wondering out loud if it was possible to go to see it. They had a cinema in Storybrooke but they only got the same movies back from the 80's and so far Regina had been unable to fix that. Henry got excited about the prospect of possibly going out of town for a movie.

Zelena was walking behind them with the stroller, subtly sending messages with Mal. Mal had said that she would still love to join them for breakfast but the first stage of the plan could wait. Zelena felt guilty of plotting behind her sisters back when that had been exactly something she had asked her not to do. But she had to do something and technically it hadn't even been her idea as it had been Mal who called her.

They had made it to the diner in no time and they stepped through the door together. The diner was surprisingly empty considering it was breakfast time, so finding a place was not that difficult. They were called over to join somebody though.

"Regina? Morning." a chipper voice said from one of the booths.

Regina raised her eyes and smiled as she saw one of her oldest friends sitting in a booth, a coffee cup in front of her. She pulled Henry with her towards the table so she could properly greet Mal. She leaned down for a hug before wishing her good morning as well.

"What brings you here so early?" Regina asked as she knew Mal never really had breakfast in the diner. Coffee, yes. Lunch, almost definitely, but breakfast she always had home as she was not a morning person.

"I wanted to try something new, kinda spice up the old life. And it seems I picked a good day as I ran into you guys." Mal said and smiled up to them. "Would you like to join me for breakfast?"

"Oh can we, mom? I haven't seen aunt Mal in ages!" Henry got excited which in turn made Regina smile. Her son had grown up so much and he had greeted everyone with open arms and welcomed them into their family. Suddenly all her close friends were aunties and all of Emma's close friends joined in soon after. He enjoyed the big messy family dynamic and Regina couldn't really blame him. It was definitely great.

"Of course we can." Regina smiled and Henry slipped into the other side of the booth so he could be in front of Mal. Zelena sat down next to Henry and Granny soon swooped by to goo at Robyn, bringing her a chair. Regina sat down next to Mal, feeling considerably better.

Granny took out her notepad and asked about their orders. Henry, Zelena and Regina had their usual's but since Mal had never had Granny's breakfast before she ended up ordering the same thing as Henry was because as the boy said it was 'pretty damn amazing'. Zelena and Granny had their normal banter about tea and she promised to warm up a bottle for little Robyn as she had all she needed in the back. Henry wished for hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon, which made Regina's eyes glass over slightly. Regina and Mal placed their coffee orders and now it was just about waiting.

While they did that, Henry and Mal went deep into conversation about dragons and dragon myths like they always did. As the new Author, Henry had taken it to heart to know as much about the previous stories and worlds to write everyone accurately. It was also purely personal curiosity. Regina and Zelena were concentrating on Robyn who was getting a bit restless waiting for her breakfast.

The bell by the door dinged as people came in. And as per usual and by human instinct they all turned to see who came through the door.

Regina wasn't sure did she want to cry or go and vomit. It was Hook and Emma. He had his arm around her waist as he was pulling her towards himself, making it hard for her to walk. The happiness and fire that had shone from Emma were nowhere to be found today. It was actually scary how today was a complete opposite. Her eyes looked dead and her skin pale in way that made her look almost sick. She made no effort to hold onto her fiance who was obsessively pulling her to his body.

Emma didn't notice the people in the booth at first, but when Hook bend over the counter to talk to Granny about their order he loosened his grip enough for Emma to break free for a bit. That was the moment she turned to see them and a genuine smile broke free on her face. She lifted her hand in a small wave which both Regina and Henry returned. The blonde was about to make her way towards them, but a hand on her wrist stopped her. Hook pulled her rudely back towards him, before looking smugly directly at Regina.

Regina had to turn away when Hook drew Emma into a deep, highly inappropriate kiss. Mal and Zelena exchanged pained looks over the table before Mal took Regina's hand. Emma tried to pull away but Hook was holding her tightly. They finally broke it off when Granny came back with their coffees. With a parting glance Hook pulled Emma with her and they exited the diner.

"What the hell did he do to Ma?" Henry was the first one to break the silence. He was angry and confused. He might not be an adult yet, but he knew enough to know that something was going on and he had seen how nearly sick his other mother looked. Looking at each woman at the table, he finally set his eyes on his brunette mother who looked almost as sick as his blonde mother.

"Mom are you okay?" he was growing more and more concerned. Both Zelena and Mal turned to look at Regina as well, but the brunette got up and ran towards the bathroom before neither could say anything. Henry and Zelena were getting up to follow her, but Mal got up before them.

"I will go and check up on her." she reassured the son and the redhead who were both ready to run after Regina. She walked swiftly into the bathroom only to see Regina leaning her head over the sink. Her eyes were tightly closed and she was breathing deeply.

Mal stood next to her and laid her hand gently on her back. Her heart was breaking for her friend. She had seen how absolutely devastated Regina looked when the couple entered. But now she was genuinely concerned for Emma's well being as well. What they had just witnessed was sick, downright dangerous. Mal had seen Emma yesterday, how happy and sunny she looked, but today... They had to do something, but she was unsure how to even begin to bring it up with Regina.

"Are you okay?" she knew it was a stupid thing to ask, but she felt like Regina might be more okay with lying to her than telling her the truth. She was giving her friend the out that she might need. But the answer that left Regina's lips surprised her.

"No, I'm not."

Rubbing gentle circles on her friend's back, Mal just hummed. She waited. And she was rewarded from her patience. "Did you see how sick she looked?"

"I did. I think there is some reason to be concerned." Mal wasn't going to downplay her concern to save Regina's feelings. Everyone knew Emma was too good for Hook, but they all cared for Emma enough to let her decide for herself. If she was happy, the entire town was gonna be happy for her. Now she looked anything but happy.

"She looked so... trapped. I know that look. I lived inside that look for years with... with him..." Regina breathed out unevenly. Now it all made more sense to Mal. Of course.

"Do you think she is in danger?" Mal asked.

"I do. I didn't think she was before but something happened yesterday that might have triggered something. He called her. And I answered. I wasn't going to let him talk about her like an object so I called him out on it. And he..." Regina swallowed roughly. "He called me out on my feelings. Not directly but he knew. And I'm scared he did something to Emma because of it."

"Shit Regina. I didn't even realize." Mal didn't understand how Regina was always the one who was getting hurt in any kinda situation that was going on in life. How the woman in front of her was still breathing was something she didn't understand.

"Mal, I have to go and get her. I cannot live knowing something happened to her because of me. I have to save her from him." Regina was full on sobbing now, keeping tight hold on the sink in front of her.

"I will come with you and I'm sure Zelena will as well. We will go right now." Mal helped Regina straighten herself. Once more Mal looked on in sense of awe as Regina build herself up right in front of her eyes. She seemed taller, a lot stronger and definitely angry. She looked like she was gonna squash Hook under her heel and Mal was gonna pay for front row seats to see that.

Regina made her way towards the door and threw it open. Mal had no other choice but to follow behind her friend. The brunette walked to the table, locking eyes with her sister. It seemed they were somehow holding a silent conversation which wasn't lost on Henry who asked. "Umm, what's going on?"

Both Mal and Zelena were ready for a sugar coating but to their surprise Regina sat down into the booth so she could take Henry's hands into her own. Taking a calming breath she met her sons eyes with determination. "I'm going to save your ma."

Henry didn't seem surprised as it was kinda their thing to save each other and he knew Emma needed saving and there was no one better to do that than his mom. He was still waiting for his mom to continue though since it was clear there was more that she wanted to say.

"I love her, Henry."

At that point Mal and Zelena were looking at each other dumbfounded. Their brilliant plan was proving to be useless as somehow Regina was gathering all the strings into her hands and deciding to go forward and be brave. Henry's eyes widened a bit but in seconds it all made sense to him.

"I know you do, mom. Just go and help her, we can talk later."

Regina got up to press her lips tightly to his forehead before gently petting Robyn's hair. "Are you coming?" she looked directly at her sister.

"You bet I am." Zelena grinned like the wicked witch she once was. "Granny?!"

The older woman came from the kitchen looking at her questionably. She was seeing three determined women in front of her and she had a feeling it was gonna end badly for someone.

"Will you watch out little munchkins for a while? We have to go out to be heroes for a bit." Zelena smiled sweetly while peppering kisses on Robyn's face.

"Let the record show, that I do not condone whatever mischief you three are going off to do." Granny let out a long sigh, rounding the counter and coming to pick up Robyn who instantly tried to take her glasses.

"They are going to kick Hook's ass." Henry offered helpfully, shrugging when three sets of frowns were directed at him.

"Well, in that case, carry on." Granny said and sat into the booth, smiling happily at Robyn.

"Thank you, Granny." Regina smiled and flew one more kiss towards her son. Then she made her way to the door, leaving the two woman follow behind her once more. The air was nearly vibrating of pure magic that was coming off in waves of the three formerly villainous women, on their way to be heroes once more.

* * *

/ i think there is one more chapter after this and then i will wrap this up! i hope you guys have liked it so far and will see it to the end!


	5. Chapter 5

**notes:**  
 _i don't even know what to say. time got away with me and it took me actual ages to get back to updating this._  
 _there will be one more chapter after this, kinda wrapping the story up._  
 _i hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Storybrooke was one of those towns that was just small enough to walk anywhere you possible needed to go. Which meant that the walk to Emma's new house only took them a small while. They didn't discuss strategy since there was an air of understanding floating between them. They hadn't been witches for nothing.

When they made it to the house, Regina could feel a strong magical charge pulsate from the house. She knew that magic well, having been consumed by it several times. It was very unique to Emma. The blonde was a product of True Love and that alone made her one of the strongest magical beings in all the lands, but the added taste of the Dark One's magic had given Emma's magic even more unique ability. It had made it even stronger.

And currently there was a lot of it in the air. Emma wasn't big on using her magic, in fact she only ever used it when the town was in danger or if she couldn't reach the remote when she was laying on the couch. But in order to have created this kind of charge, she would have had to use it a lot. It terrified Regina to her core.

"Can you feel it?" Regina whispered to her to companions as they all stood in front of the gate to the yard.

Both woman nodded because they could feel it indeed, but they shared a look. They had both noticed how Regina was nearly vibrating from the strength of it. It seemed to affect the brunette differently and it was pretty clear to the other two why that was that.

They made their way quietly though the gates, towards the wooden stairs that led them to the front door. All the curtains were down and there were no lights on. Regina took a gentle hold of the door knob but it was locked tightly.

Raising her hand slightly, she was ready to cast a spell to open the door when Zelena tapped her shoulder gently. Regina met her sisters eyes before they both looked down at their feet. There was something dripping down from under the door, something very red in color...

Before any of them could bend down to see it any better there was huge crash from inside the house. It made Regina's heart jump to her throat.

"YOU FILTHY SLUT, WHAT DID YOU JUST DO-"

Regina's fear skyrocketed as she threw her entire weight against the door, trying desperately open it. Behind her Zelena flicked her wrist in haste and the door opened, making Regina stumble through the doorway and into the house. The place looked like a mess. There were broken dishes everywhere, the furniture had been knocked over and there were stains all over the pristine white walls.

Another loud crash was heard from upstairs and Regina flew into the stairs, kicking off her heels as she went. She was sure her sister and friend would follow after her, because they all knew how this worked. It didn't take long to find where all the yelling was coming from. As she rounded the corner, she came by an open door that lead into the master bedroom.

What she saw made her blood boil and run cold at the same time. Hook was standing in the middle of the room and Emma was standing on the bed, leaning heavily against the wall behind her. There were stains on Emma's clothes, her face was death pale and her eyes were puffy from the tears that were still leaking out. She looked absolutely exhausted, like she was ready to fall at any second.

Hook looked like he had gotten his fair share of hits as well. There were clear nail marks on his cheeks and his clothes were pretty teared up. It seemed that he was nowhere near finished with his fight, where as Emma was ready to fall over. It made concern rise next to her rage - what had really happened?

"Regina?"

Regina turned to look at Emma, and she saw how relief shook her fragile body. There was hope swimming in the green eyes she so loved. No one had ever said her name like that and she felt like that somehow filled her with even more strength.

"What are you doing here?!" was spat at her by the pirate she hated with every fiber of her being. Hook had turned his full attention towards her, which she preferred because at least this way he couldn't hurt Emma anymore.

"I'm here to put an end to this. I'm here to take her home." Regina stood tall, being every inch of the queen she had once been. Once upon a time, people had scattered away in front of her, scared for their lives. And back in the day, they had every reason to be scared.

Hook laughed coldly before smirking. "She will never want you, Your Majesty. She is mine."

Regina swallowed thickly.

"She doesn't need to want me. I can live in the world where she doesn't return my feelings, but I refuse to live in the world where she is in pain, where she is with someone who doesn't see how unique and funny and beautiful she is. If she chooses not to want me, I'm going to find a way to be fine with that, but you will never ever lay a hand on her. Ever again." Regina didn't dare to look at Emma when she was speaking, even when she felt like it was important for the blonde to hear what she had to say.

"Is this supposed to make me scared? One pint sized former queen with a soft heart? Oh please." Hook rolled his eyes and took a step closer to Regina. But the brunette wasn't easily scared. She had gone trough terrors and nightmares most people couldn't even come up with. So one handed pirate did nothing for her.

"You should in fact be very scared." she could feel the magic pump in her veins like it hadn't done in a long time. "You saw how I ruled, you saw what happened to people who crossed me. You saw what I did to them."

That made Hook pause. He did remember, he had seen some of the deeds of the Evil Queen and the fear that had indeed lived in the hearts of her people. But his rage was taking over quickly.

"I don't care! You are not gonna take what's mine!" he yelled, spit flying in all directions.

"You don't understand at all do you? She is not yours to own. She is only yours if she decides that's what she wants. You could both belong to each other but she is not an object. You aren't the one who calls the shots, you cannot tell her what to do." Regina couldn't understand how stupid could one man be. How was this such a weird concept for him?

Hook was nearing her with faster pace now so Regina had no other choice but to act. Instead of using magic like she had originally planned, she raised her fist to hit Hook square in the jaw, taking great pleasure hearing a slight crack. That alone didn't make the pirate drop yet as he was wobbling backwards holding his jaw, looking both confused and outraged.

Having a bit of a hop, Regina kicked Hook in the middle of the chest which made him stumble back and smack his head against the wall. Regina saw how his body hit the ground but she didn't waste time seeing to him, knowing full well that her backup would be on the case. She ran towards Emma who damn near collapsed into her embrace.

"Regina..." Emma was crying now, the stress and fear leaving her body. It was all replaced with relief and happiness of seeing her savior. She had known Regina would come for her but then the situation had truly and utterly gotten out of hand when they had made it back into the house.

"It's okay, you are all okay now. I will take care of you, I promise." Regina was whispering into Emma's hair, holding her tightly. The blonde seemed fragile, like she had somehow lost weight from when she had seen her yesterday. That left Regina feeling even more concerned as she looked subtly around.

Zelena and Mal were taking care of the unconscious Hook. He seemed to be bound and Zelena nodded at her sister who whispered into the blonde's ear again. "Emma, I'm going to transport us into the hospital. I want to have you checked out. Is that okay?"

"I trust you with everything." Emma whispered just as quietly before closing her eyes. She was so tired that even keeping her eyes open was impossible now that she felt safe. So so tired. Maybe it was okay to sleep for a bit? Regina would wake her up.

That's when Emma lost consciousness.

* * *

"Mom, I'm fine, I promise." Emma was rolling her eyes hard as her mother made the third u-turn at the door. It was getting late and the little Neal was getting sleepy and cranky, having been with their parents in the hospital for the better part of the day. It was a clear sign for them to go home. Also Emma had to admit she was feeling slightly cramped.

She was laying in the hospital bed, wearing a pink hospital gown, feeling totally okay. None the less the doctors had deemed it wise to keep her over night 'just in case'. Emma had a pretty good idea her mother and Regina had something to do with the intensive care she was receiving, but then again, it was pretty damn nice to be so cared for.

Snow came by to give one final kiss to her daughters forehead before she finally followed her husband and son out of the room, with a promise to come and pick her up the first thing tomorrow morning. The room quieted and Emma left out a long breath of air.

It had been a roller coaster ever since yesterday. She remembered yesterday very clearly but some of the details of today were a little foggy in her mind. There was no memory of passing out but going from being snuggled into Regina's arms to being in a cold hospital bed was a bit of a give away that something had gone down.

After that there had been several tests and blood samples, worried son and parents. But the one person she had wanted to see and talk to the most hadn't come by and Emma had no idea why. Regina was her hero. She was her best friend. She was the woman who loved her... and who she loved back.

Hearing Regina's speech about feelings back at the house had made Emma breathless. She never in her wildest dreams could have hoped that Regina would actually return her feelings. Sure they were close, they had started hugging and she used to be at the mansion all the time but Regina was her best friend. She used to date Robin. After seeing how happy Regina had been with him, Emma had never let her mind wander to a place where she would hope they could be more.

Emma wanted to talk to Regina more than anything right now. She just wished the other woman would come by soon.

It was getting late though and the medication was truly starting to kick in. Laying down more comfortably she fell into a dreamless sleep. She slept so tightly that she didn't notice a puff of purple smoke transporting someone into the room. Neither did she notice when that same purple smoke took someone away just when the sun was starting to rise.

* * *

Snow was there to pick her up the first thing the next morning. Emma kept asking her mother had she seen Regina but Snow hadn't. She also brought Emma back her phone and the first thing she did was to dial Regina. The phone rang but no one answered. Emma decided that no matter what anyone said, she would be going by Mifflin Street today.

After they had sat down in the car, Snow had started her usual babble which Emma had turned off quite literally as soon as it started. What did catch her attention was Snow's choice of words when it came to Regina.

"... and before your adventure to your girlfriends house, I want you to have a proper meal. Dr. Whale said that -"

Emma whipped her head towards her mother and opened her mouth a couple of times. She did like the sound of that, but she was really confused how her mother knew anything about anything.

"My girlfriend?"

"Oh Emma... It hasn't been a secret how much you like Regina. That's why we were really confused with the whole thing you had with Hook. We didn't know what was going on and you two seemed to be happy. So we let it go. Your happiness was what made us happy as well." Snow turned to look sadly at Emma.

"Oh." Emma looked down. "I have always liked her. Falling in love took a minute but it has been there for a long time. She is the one, she has somehow always been. But there was the entire thing with Robin and pixie dust. He was supposed to be her soulmate. How was I going to compete with that?" Emma explained quietly, feeling the old sadness bubbling back to surface. She remembered seeing the happiness on Regina's face and knew she would never mess that up for her, no matter how much she wished they would end up being together.

"But that was proven false ages ago. What made you stay with Hook?" Snow had a lot of questions she wanted to ask. She wanted to understand what had been going on in her daughters head since she had always been very reluctant to share.

"I don't know... Maybe it was the fear of rejection. It took Regina so long to get over Robin and I felt like what she needed more was a friend rather than... love. And Hook... So many things had already happened and I felt like I had an obligation to stay with him, try to be happy. Even when I wasn't. But I tried my hardest so I wouldn't break my heart. I never thought Regina could actually ever love me." Emma was swallowing back her tears but it was clear her mother was hearing them none the less.

Snow had no further questions, not right now anyway. She reached to take her daughters hand and they drove back to the loft in silence.

They had barely made it into the apartment before Henry flew like out of nowhere to hug his mother. He had seen her yesterday and she had reassured him she was fine, but after all that had happened, he still worried himself sick.

"Are you okay, Ma?" he asked quietly, refusing to let go. He was so done with the constant chaos that always seemed to chase after one of his mothers.

"I will be, kid." Emma was more than happy to hug Henry for as long as he wanted.

"Are you going to see mom today?" it was like Henry had reached into her brain and come up with the thought that was dominating her entire brain wave.

"Have you heard from her? Where is she?" Emma knew that even if Regina would not answer her, she would never radio silence Henry.

"She is at home." of course she was. Mansion had once been yet another prison for the brunette woman but with her son returning to sleep in his own room and with her sister moving in with her had once again turned it into a home, a safe place.

* * *

Keeping her head, Snow made Emma eat a full meal before letting her daughter out of the house. Charming offered to drive her, but after every offer Emma assured her parents and her son that she was going to be fine. She felt great after the meal and as the doctor had said, there was no damage. None the less she promised to text everyone when she had made her 15 minute walk to the mansion.

Entering the fresh evening air seemed like the best idea she had had in days. It seemed purifying almost, like it was all going to be washed away.

Emma Swan had been in bad situations before in her life, but yesterday had been one of the biggest messes ever. Emma had known for ages that things with Hook weren't working out and the signs for that had been clear. He was a toxic person to be around. She just had no idea how to get out of it without him getting angry. It had been complicated. And it had gotten even more complicated.

She stopped in front of the mansion. The lights were on downstairs, when the upstairs was completely dark. It all reminded her a lot of the night Henry had brought her here, to Storybrooke. He had brought her home.

Opening the gate, she made her way up the steps and to the front door. Golden letters of 108 were staring back at her when she lifted her fist to knock three times. Right away she could hear the distinct noise of high heels that were the signature wear for Regina Mills. Holding her breath she waited for the door to open but for some reason it seemed to take longer than ever before. Soon though, it opened and revealed the love of her life.

Regina looked like she always looked: immaculate and absolutely beautiful. Her dress had not a single wrinkle, her high heels matched the dress as always and her hair was perfectly curled. Regina had cut it short again some time ago and it reminded Emma of the time when they had first met. She had never met anyone quite like Regina before. They had had their differences but Emma had always been intrigued. There was something about Regina, to this very day and forever, that kept her full attention.

"Emma." Regina greeted formally, trying her hardest to hide her emotions. But Emma knew her better than that and she could see how her showing up affected the older brunette.

"Can I come in?" Emma asked gently.

Regina hesitated for a split second before stepping out of the way to let the blonde enter, closing her eyes briefly after the other woman passed her. She knew this was gonna happen, but she still had no idea what she would do. Closing the door, she led Emma into the livingroom.

"Would you like something to drink?" Regina asked after Emma had seated herself on the couch, their couch. It was the one all three of them snuggled into when they had family movie nights. Right now though she had to keep herself tightly in check.

Emma frowned. Regina hadn't tried to host for her in years but now it was clear to see that those old walls were build high up and thick again. Emma wanted to talk to her, she needed to. She had to settle this before anything went sideways.

"I don't need anything. Look, I just want to talk to you. I-" she started with a serious tone.

"It's okay, Emma. I understand." Regina somehow managed to straighten her back even more as she tried her hardest not to cry. People wanting to talk with people never meant anything good and even the possibility of rejection was nearly crushing Regina under it's weight. Things had changed for sure but she didn't dare to hope it meant anything.

"Regina-" Emma tried again, seeing the woman in front of her trying to shut down even tighter.

"No, you don't have to say anything." Regina took a small step back, clenching and unclenching her fists. She had to keep it together until Emma was out of her house. There was no way the blonde would see her cry.

Emma was getting desperate. She was unable to say more than a word before Regina was talking over her and it seemed like the brunette had made up her mind about how this conversation was going to go.

"I think it's best for you to go. I will come by and see Henry tomorrow-"

"NO!" Emma got up from the couch and strided towards Regina. When she reached the other woman, she took her hands tightly into her own. That made Regina's heart skip some beats as she tried her hardest to keep herself in check. "Regina, please." Emma pleaded quietly, her green eyes swimming in tears.

Having Emma show so much emotion made Regina calm down somewhat. There was a silence that wasn't really awkward since they were a long past that but it was definitely highly charged.

"Okay." Regina whispered eventually.

Emma looked relieved as she slowly pulled Regina to follow her by the hands. It was very much like it had been yesterday at the beach. Emma sat them down on the couch, their legs gently touching. Emma pulled Regina's hand to her lap and held it tightly.

Another charged silence filled the space. It was clear to Regina that Emma was trying to find her courage or her words, or possibly both. That made her heart sink.

"Regina, I-" Emma started bravely before letting out a puff of air. "I had all these plans as to what to say to you but none of them seem to want to come out."

Regina had no idea what that meant so she stayed silent, hoping for an elaboration.

"I mean, so much happened in the last 24 hours, like so much and it's hard to keep track of it all." Emma seemed to be talking to herself more than Regina, but it seemed like it made it easier for the blonde so Regina just listened.

"First I had the best day of my life with you and Henry at the beach but as soon as I made it home... It just went downhill from there. Well, I guess it has been going downhill for a while now but..." Emma was starting to ramble and her eyes were misting over. That made Regina squeeze their joined hands, which snapped the green eyes to meet brown.

"It's alright, Emma. Calm down." Regina whispered calmly. "You are with me now."

"Okay, okay." Emma breathed out and smiled gratefully.

"Are you okay?" Regina was getting concerned. It wasn't like Emma to be like this and the blonde had been through some pretty hard stuff before.

"I am now." there was that relieved smile again and Regina felt instantly better. Damn her heart.

"Will you tell me what's on your mind?" Regina asked quietly as if speaking too loud was going to break something delicate between them.

"Regina, I... I have thought a lot about what happened yesterday and about what you said." Emma paused and Regina held her breath, too scared to even breathe. She had known that this would eventually come up.

"And I feel stupid." that made Regina frown deeply and squeeze Emma's hand without noticing. She had no idea what was happening but she didn't like Emma calling herself that.

"I feel stupid for not seeing what was right in front of me the entire time." Emma whispered and a lone tear fell from her eyes, going down her cheek. "I didn't dare to dream that you would feel that way about me. It was too good to be true."

Regina was sure her heart had beaten out of her chest because this definitely couldn't be happening. It was as Emma put it, 'too good to be true'. Still her brain tried to throw water into the burning fire that was her heart in order to let Emma finish.

"Regina..." Emma whispered before locking eyes with the brunette. "Do you love me?"

It was a weird sensation. The logical reaction to this would have been a total freak out if her inner turmoils before were anything to go by. She should have stood up, denied it and bailed. But what happened instead... was peace. She felt at peace with her feelings, with her love for the blonde. Maybe it had something to do with what had gone down yesterday or maybe it was what Emma had just said. Regina didn't know. But she knew what she was gonna answer.

"I do."

Regina didn't know what kind of reaction she was expecting from Emma, but the tears that started to leak from her beautiful green eyes were not that. It was very unusual for the badass Emma Swan to cry and get emotional, and even when Regina was the person she did that most with it was still always a surprise.

"Emma? Are you okay?" Regina laid a hand on Emma's shoulder.

There was a sudden sound in the air. It was the most beautiful sound in the world and Regina could say it was her favorite, right after the baby babble Henry used to produce when he was a baby. Emma was laughing. It was so carefree and happy.

Regina was sure the confusion was clear on her face because Emma tried her hardest to calm down to be able to explain. Eventually she calmed down, taking a hold of Regina's hands.

"What was that?" Regina was faster than Emma, as she was adamant in getting a word in before Emma even opened her mouth.

"That, Regina, is called laughing. I don't know have you heard about that before but-HEY!" there was a hard jab into her ribs that made her jump away.

"This isn't funny, Emma." Regina whispered, looking down at her hands. She was trying her hardest not to let Emma's response hurt her but she was only human, and her heart was already bruised and broken. It was unfair to jump to conclusions but it started to seem an awful lot like a rejection.

"I didn't laugh because it was funny." Emma said, sitting down next to Regina again. "I laughed because I'm happy." she looked at Regina, hoping the queen would be lifting her gaze which she quickly did.

"Happy?" it was easy to hear the hope in Regina's voice.

"Yes. I love you too, Regina." Emma said, not wanting to prolong any of this anymore. They had wasted enough time playing games and not knowing what the other one really thought.

Regina couldn't breathe. It seemed so unreal to hear those words, said by Emma no less. It was like all her dreams were coming true but somehow she couldn't believe it. She had to make sure.

"Really? You are not just saying that because I said it first, are you?" Regina whispered, her eyes still wide and her voice wavering.

"No, of course not! Regina, I have been in love with you for years but it took me time to come in terms with that. Also there were few male shaped bumps in the road." she rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't say that if it wasn't true. I love you." a swallow. "I love you so much, Regina."

It seemed like the emotions were getting the best of the blonde as well. Regina was sure she and the gorgeous woman in front of her were feeling the same things. Remorse for all the opportunities missed and time wasted, but still feeling incredibly happy and even maybe not believing this was all happening.

"I love you too, Emma." Regina whispered, wanting to say the words, wanting to taste them.

The blinding smile she received somehow made up for all the months of heartache. They were here now and they had nothing but time.

Emma lifted her hand, carefully placing her palm against Regina's cheek. Brown eyes locked with green and they held their gaze. Yes, they really had nothing but time. It was Emma who eventually leaned in, her breath hitching slightly. Regina was holding her breath, her eyes slowly slipping shut.

It was like an earthquake but also like the softest cotton candy ever. It was maddening in the best possible way and in no time there were hands pulling on clothing in order to bring the other one closer. It seemed like nothing was enough, like there was uncontrollable need for more.

Magical beings or not, they eventually had to break apart to catch their breaths. Gently leaning their foreheads together there was a silence. But then...

"Do you think we should talk about this?" Regina whispered. It was all so good, so incredibly wonderful that she wanted to make sure they were both on the same page. It had been a tough couple of days for everyone.

"Yeah, probably." Emma sighed, because she knew they had to. For their future.

Taking a gentle hold of Emma's hands again, Regina whispered. "Will you tell me what happened with Hook?"

Emma let out a sigh before closing her eyes. "It wasn't pretty, I can tell you that."

Regina felt torn. On the other hand she wanted to enjoy this moment of happiness with Emma and forget about the filthy pirate. But she needed to hear what happened, especially if she had done something to trigger Hook.

"I just mean that... He called me." Regina had to get this out of her chest.

"Oh I know." Emma said which made Regina snap her head towards the blonde. Emma didn't seem upset or angry, but Regina didn't know what she was feeling either. Raising her eyebrows in question was enough as Emma continued.

"He mentioned that when he was screaming at me. Also it was clear to see he wanted to prove something at the diner." there was a chill running down Emma's back. "It was disgusting."

"I'm so sorry, Emma. I didn't mean anything by it, but he-" Regina could feel a bile rise to her throat as she thought about what Hook had done to Emma.

Emma lifted her finger against Regina's lips to silence the other woman. "No, please. It made me feel so cared for, when I heard you stood up for me."

"But he didn't... He didn't do anything else to you? Without you wanting to...?" Regina didn't want to say the words out loud so she tried to find a way around them, but still making Emma understand what she meant.

"No, oh my god, Regina no!" Emma took a hold of the suddenly pale cheeks of the woman she loved. "Regina. Look at me please."

It took her a minute but eventually the brunette turned her eyes to meet the piercing green ones. There was calmness in them, but that didn't stop Regina from feeling sick.

"He never took advantage of me. I would have never let him. I know I wasn't myself a lot of time with him, but I still know how to stand up for myself. He did want you to see what he did in the diner, he wanted to own me. And in that specific moment, I was too stunned. But I promise you, nothing happened. I'm okay and we are here now." Emma was serious, taking her time to make sure Regina understood that there was no reason for her to feel guilty.

"But I thought I caused it. I thought it was my fault he was all over you. I thought he was going to do something to you." Regina was breathing heavily.

"Regina, none of it was your fault, I promise you that." Emma gently moved the thumb across the soft cheeks of her sons other mother. It seemed so unreal that they had actually reached this point, where touching each other meant the same thing for both of them.

Regina looked up to the green eyes in front of her. She did believe Emma, because no matter what Emma Swan had always been truthful with her, even in hard and difficult situations and about horrible things. She did not sugarcoat things for her and she didn't want her to. Regina respected the honesty.

"What happened when you made it back into the house?" she whispered, finally ready to listen.

Emma breathed in before launching into her story. "He was furious when we made it home. He had been in foul mood for a longer time now but I think the whole diner scene was just the last drop. He started yelling and calling me names. Then I yelled and I'm sure you saw the broken dishes?" at Regina's nod, Emma continued. "Yeah, that was me. I hit him with few of them too. It was literally just an explosion of things he had kept bottled up, quite literally. It wasn't pretty."

"But your magic, I- I felt it, all around the house." Regina asked, feeling confused.

"I tried using magic like you taught me to, but I think it was all just too much for me to even attempt to concentrate. But I could feel it pumping like during our lessons. I think it made me more tired than anything." Emma thought, looking into nothingness, trying to picture that feeling again.

"Something for us to work on then." Regina whispered and leaned her head on Emma's shoulder.

They breathed deeply together for a while, in sync. It calmed down the beating hearts and overthinking brains in the simplest, most organic way possible. Neither of them knew how long they were silent for but eventually Emma asked with a normal voice.

"What happens now?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Honey, I'm home!"

Zelena couldn't help but yell as she walked into her sisters mansion. Being part of a real family came with certain benefits, one of them being walking into someone else's house like you owned the place. And that was often the deal with the Mills sisters. There was no knocking on doors, just walking in and feeling at home.

Dropping her bag next to the door and kicking off her heels, Zelena looked around. It was rare that there was no one to greet her when she waltzed in but after few minutes she could hear footsteps walking closer. They were eventually picking up speed and soon a certain blonde appeared on the living room doorway.

The hair, as per usual, was sticking to directions unknown to mankind. There was no getting sense of that mess, and it wasn't for the lack of trying. Zelena herself had finally bitten the bullet a couple of months ago and brought her massive hair care set to the mansion.

But there was no handling the wild hair of her niece.

"Auntie Zelena!" the little girl screamed before flying towards to the open arms of her favourite auntie. Wrapping her arms securely around the little girl, Zelena squeezed her closer.

"Hey, Hops! How are you today?" Zelena asked as she perched the little girl more securely on her hip.

"I thought mama came home." the little girl looked from the door to her auntie. "She always says that and we are waiting for her to bring us food."

"Oh? She always says that?" Zelena knew very well that Emma liked to yell it even louder than she did. "And what kind of food are we talking about here? Anything I'd like?"

The little girl looked off for a moment before smiling evily. "Onion rings."

"Oh, I'm definitely staying here for dinner then." Zelena smiled back.

"You are?" said the deeper voice from the same doorway the little blonde had run through. "Maybe I should tell her to bring extra as we are all familiar with your interesting relationship with onion rings."

"So kind, sis, so kind." Zelena rolled her eyes at her sister who walked closer to the pair.

Zelena would never stop to marvel at how far her little sister had come. No longer were the brown eyes rimmed with red after Regina cried herself breathless, battling with her feelings towards Emma. It had been so hard to see her go through that and not been able to help her any way. Regina didn't have to build her walls up to protect herself everyday to be able to survive living so close to Emma and not having her. Regina was free to be who she was now, showing her emotions and being in love.

And couple of years ago, Regina and Emma announced that were expecting a new addition to their little family and after carrying their little girl to full term, Regina gave birth to Hope.

By then it had already been years since the last incident with a villain of any sort, but it felt like the birth of Hope somehow solified the happiness of the entire family. It was like the deep exhale after resolving something once and for all.

The little girl wiggled down from her aunts arms to run towards Regina who easily picked her up. Motherhood had always looked good on Regina, but for the first time ever there was nothing glooming over her head. No curses, no savior.

Well, there was definitely a savior. But the meaning had completely changed for Regina.

"Hope, be so kind and go get your brother. He complained he was getting hungry so now is his chance to get some food." Regina kissed Hope's cheek before putting the girl down. She ran up the stairs, calling Henry's name in the clearest, loudest little voice on the planet.

"So, family dinner, huh? I hope I'm not intruding." Zelena smiled, a bit cautiously since she did not wanna butt in if the family had something planned.

"You are never intruding, you know that." Regina said and walked to wrap her arms around Zelena, giving her a strong hug. Zelena answered in kind wrapping her own arms around Regina.

And right this second the door was pushed open and the loud voice boomed into the house.

"Honey, I'm home!"

That made Regina spin around and quite nearly skip to wrap her arms around the blonde woman, whose hair was just as much of a mess as their daughters. Regina pressed a sweet kiss to the pale cheek, before whispering something that Zelena couldn't hear.

Emma whispered something back before pressing a kiss to Regina's lips.

Those two had no idea how to keep it short and appropriate, and eventually Zelena had to holler.

"HEY!"

That made Regina and Emma break apart, Reginas cheeks only slightly colouring pink as Emma just smirked.

"Are you staying for dinner, Zelena?" she asked.

"Well, your daughter told me there would be onion rings so how could I resist?" Zelena smirked.

"What a little snitch." Emma said in the most affectionate tone, beaming proudly.

"Alright, thats enough. Emma, would you take the food into the kitchen and get prepared to meet the hurricane that is your daughter. She has been waiting impatiently for you to return home." Regina sounded just as proud as Emma did when talking about their daughter.

Henry and Hope were the center of their worlds, and anyone who had ever met them, knew that within two minutes of starting a conversation with them.

"Is she excited about me or the food?" Emma asked.

"What do you think? She is _your_ child after all." Regina teased, pressing another kiss on Emma's cheek.

"Yeah, my girl." Emma whispered as she walked into the dining room to set up their food.

Zelena couldn't help but to look at Reginas face, like she always did when Emma was going somewhere.

There was so much love shining from her eyes, making the chocolate brown shine in almost magical way. And knowing the strength of their love and the magic they both possessed, it wouldn't surprise Zelena if there was indeed magic involved. The love was mixed with a hint of longing but Zelena had always figured that when you found your true love, being apart even for a while was hard.

"Are you happy, Regina?"

The question bubbled out before Zelena could do anything about it, but she was eager to know the answer none of the less.

Regina looked down in thought, clearly rewinding the adventures, the heartache and the surprises that she had encountered on her way to live the life she was currently living. Soon a wide, content smile spread on her lips.

"Yes, I really truly am."

* * *

i am embarrassed it took me this long to finish this fic but yeah, that was it guys! i hope you liked it!


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